Duties of a Sensei
by The Mother Rose
Summary: Pretty much what it sounds like. Two stories in one though I am still working on the second story.
1. Chapter 1

Duties of a Sensei

A man with a large scar across the bridge of his nose watched as the children filed out of the building where they'd just spent the last four hours trying to be still and attentive. Upon reaching the open air of the schools courtyard he wasn't surprised to hear them yell for joy. Mixed in with the laughter were a few groans from those who had more hours of forced inactivity to look forward to as soon as they reached their homes. A cluster soon formed at the courtyard gates as kids waited for their parents or chaperones to pick them up.

Iruka watched as one by one the crowd thinned out until there was only one little boy left. His bright orange jumpsuit made him hard to miss but the child didn't buy his own clothes so it really wasn't his fault. The Hokage had asked Iruka to pay special attention to the child as long as he was on the school grounds so every day when the children were dismissed Iruka took a post by the window and watched his children leave for the evening. Now he watched as the child walked slowly to the swing and sat down. He knew from experience that he'd spend the evening on the swing and would only leave when the sun had set. But Iruka stayed at his post watching the trees behind the swing set. There. A flash of black amongst the green leaves. He turned and made his way back to his desk. He had papers to grade.

An hour later and he was done. Just as he set the last paper aside he heard a scream from the direction of the swing set. He turned his head towards the window but continued to gather his things so he could finally head home for the day. When he had all his belongings he walked to the door of his classroom and turned off the lights before leaving. Once he opened the outer doors he heard the rustle that only came from someone trying to be small and inconspicious. He turned his head towards the sound and let his eyes get accustomed to the darkness.

Across the courtyard he heard angry mutterings. It was hard to make out the individual words but from the sounds, Naruto must have given them the slip. Good that meant he'd be in class tomorrow if Iruka could get him safely away from the school.

Quietly he said, "Come on Naruto. Let's get you home before they figure out where you went."

He felt a small hand slip into his and started walking towards the gate. He walked with the child slowly. Every few minutes they'd stop and watch the shadows for patches of darkness that didn't belong. But it was still a surprise when someone stepped right in front of them preventing Iruka from turning the corner that lead to Naruto's run down apartment.

"Take him elsewhere, Sensei. He can't go home right now," the shadow whispered.

Without a word Iruka turned and led Naruto back the way they had come. They stuck close to the walls of the buildings lining the street and at every corner they stopped while Iruka made sure the way was clear for them. He knew that if they got caught Naruto would not be the only one getting hurt tonight. Finally they made it to Iruka's place and they shuffled inside as quickly as they could. Once inside he got a good look at Naruto. A black eye was forming nicely and he had blood trickling from his nose and mouth. Without a word Iruka pointed the way to the bathroom and Naruto went to clean up. They'd done this routine before so as Naruto cleaned himself up Iruka wen to see what he had to feed the child tonight. He found some left over fried rice and heated it up before putting it on a plate and setting it out with a pair of chopsticks. For himself he heated some leftover soup and was just pouring it into a cup as Naruto came back from the bathroom. When they'd finished eating Iruka pointed to his small living area and Naruto sighed. He knew Iruka was telling him to get on his schoolwork but like most children he hated schoolwork. His feet dragged as he pulled himself to the shelves where Iruka kept a copy of his textbooks for just this kind of situation. Naruto pulled out his Japanese language book and grabbed an empty scroll and brush with ink. He took his things back to the kitchen table and set to work on the assignment he was supposed to do for the next day. Being only six years old his handwriting was not the best but he tried. Iruka watched over his efforts and wasn't surprised when a small pink tongue poked from a corner of his mouth. He formed each letter slowly and carefully so he would make as few mistakes as possible. Mistakes meant having to restart and he didn't want to use any more of Iruka's supplies than necessary to get the assignment done. Adults got mad when Naruto made mistakes and so far Iruka had been nice to him. He didn't want that to change. Soon his head began to droop and his eyes drifted closed.

Iruka took the brush out of his hand and moved the scroll away. Then he picked the child up and carried him to the guest bed. He tucked him in and went back to clean up before turning in himself.

Just as he put the last of the books away there was a knock at his door. Iruka waited before opening it. When he had Naruto in his apartment there was a pre-arranged signal for anyone to use if they were friendly. And if they weren't well, he definitely didn't want to open the door to them. All his friends knew that if he didn't open the door to their knock to give the coded knock. So he simply stood and waited for it. And waited. Straining his ears he tried to hear what was outside his door. He heard rustling but couldn't tell how many were out there. Then something came flying threw his kitchen window and he flashed through the signs for the panic jutsu he'd been taught when the Hokage asked him to be part of the group of adults watching over Naruto. From his guest room he heard more broken glass and sprinted to reach the sleeping child before anyone made it into the room. Grabbing Naruto from the bed he ran back to his living room just as the Anbu squad showed up. He laid Naruto on his couch and pointed to his kitchen and guest room. The squad split up and he heard the sounds of fighting from both rooms. Naruto stared at Iruka with big blue eyes but didn't make a sound. He knew to stay quiet and still. Iruka got down on his knees and put one hand on his head while he put the other on Naruto's tummy. Naruto may have been six years old but he was the size of an average four year old. Silently he mouthed, "You're safe now. Anbu is here."

Naruto's eyes widen for a brief second before he nodded. Now why had his eyes widened at the mention of the Anbu squad? Naruto knew Anbu watched over him. Just then Iruka felt someone behind him. And it was a friendly feeling. He started to turn just as a piercing pain entered his shoulder. He reacted automatically. Pushing his chakra out of his back he made a defensive shield around himself. He could feel the blood trickling from the wound in his shoulder but turned to face his attacker anyway. He was only a chunnin and he knew himself to be seriously outmatched against Anbu troops but yet he was all that stood between Naruto and serious pain now. He had to try to protect the child. There was no one else.

He stood up and ran through all the jutsus he knew trying to find one that would defend the two of them and hurt the attackers without tearing up his home. He felt the small arms grab onto his back and smiled. Naruto had figured out that his teacher was going to fight and by being on his back, he made it a little easier as Iruka would only have to shield one spot instead of two. Flaring his chakra again Iruka forced the defensive shield to encompass them and hooked his hands under Naruto's legs. An attacker tried to get in close but the shield forced them back before they could strike at Iruka.

The fight began in earnest as the attackers realized Iruka wouldn't just let them beat the child up. He fought as hard as he could sending attackers flying back out his broken front door and threw the livingroom window whenever he could. But he knew he was losing. There were just too many of them and they were trying to protect anything where he was. Finally he edged close enough to the window to jump through and ran down the street as quickly as he could. He stuck to the shadows and tried to think of where to go but he wasn't the expert at running from angry mobs that Naruto was.

Trying to make as little noise as possible he asked Naruto, "Where to? Where can we go?"

Naruto pointed to the Hokage's tower. The words formed in Iruka's head. "The Old Man is waiting for us."

Iruka took off for the tower. He never noticed the black shadow that trailed them to the semi-hidden entrance. Nor did he notice the bodies laid out on the sidewalk as that shadow encountered trouble-makers.

Finally they made it to the Hokage's office and sure enough the old man was waiting for them. "Put him down in here Iruka," he said.

A small bed was in a hidden room off the Hokage's office. There was also a dresser and a night-stand with bandages and medicines arranged on it's surface. It was sparse but as soon as Iruka had put Naruto down the child ran across to the bed. He had obviously been here many times before. Iruka watched as Naruto pushed aside the pillow and pulled out an old-weather beaten dog-eared book. Smiling, the child brought it to the Old-Man. Iruka was stunned. The child had a beautiful smile. He didn't notice the Saratobi looking at him as he watched Naruto. Naruto for his part ignored Iruka and settled into Saratobli's lap with his book. Saratobi held the child and gently rocked back and forth as one would with a small child. Soon Naruto's eyes closed and Saratobi motioned for Iruka to come pick him up. Before Iruka could move a man in black with a mask covering his face poofed in and took the child. Iruka reacted. He slid into a fighting stance and then noticed Sartaobi's motioning him to be at ease as the man in the mask moved towards the bed in the hidden room. Iruka watched the stranger tuck the child in and come out. Saratobi closed the door and then said, "Take off the mask, Kakashi. You're scaring Iruka."

Kakashi took off his mask and hung it from a hook at his waist. We have some worms in the Anbu corps. They attacked the child at the school grounds. I think they just got lucky finding him at Iruka's place but when he sounded the panic alarm they knew for sure where he was."

"So what happened exactly? It doesn't look like they managed to hurt him this time."

Kakashi laughed. "Your teacher here knows some good moves. One that might get him in trouble with the Hyuuga clan if they find out about it, but he got hurt before he realized the Anbu at his place weren't friendly. He shielded both himself and Naruto from the mob and got out of there as quick as he could."

Saratobi looked at Iruka, pride in his gaze. "Thank you Iruka. I'm sure Naruto is glad you were there tonight also."

"They tore up my home trying to hurt him. It's the least I could do. And which move will make the Hyuuga clan angry?"

Kakashi smirked. " That shield thing you did at your place. It's very similar to their Katon, you know but you didn't have to help him get away from them at the school. You could have walked away and left him hiding in the buildings shadows."

Now it was Iruka's turn to smirk. "No I couldn't. He's one of my students and it's my duty to protect my students until they are off school grounds. It was my duty to get him away from them."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto. I'm much too poor even if the guy was willing to sell it which he isn't.**

** Fight for a Life**

Sequel to Duties of a Sensei

Fall's bright colors were hidden today by the falling raindrops that fell like a mist upon the soaked ground. The gentle spray seeped into everything it touched leaving behind only a feeling of cold and dampness. The villagers didn't feel it. They were celebrating in the marketplace. Today marked the memory of the sacrifice of their greatest hero. The man who had given up everything worth having to save them. The man who had deemed them more worthy of life than he himself was. Though they dressed in mourning clothes the air was filled with laughter as children ran from one booth to another screaming excitedly as they tried to win a prize or grab a treat. Adults huddled into heavy jackets to ward off the chill and drank from their warmed thermoses. Some were only drinking tea since they had children running around to care for but most were drinking stronger things. Sake and heavier spirits wafted on the air as the adults began to weave and stumble. Anger replaced the cheer as sadness, the rain and the alcohol brought home their loss. The celebration began to break up.

People turned towards the lower area of town looking for a way to vent their emotions and the skies let loose. Rain fell harder dropping in large plops to the already soaked ground, forming puddles the villagers trampled through without notice. Lightening forked across the sky and thunder rumbled but only the children heard. Their laughter changed to crying as they ran to find parents. Parents gathered up their children and rushed them home to tuck them into warm baths.

But in the streets the mob had formed and murmurs had turned to rants. The storm raged overhead as thermoses were smashed into corners of buildings to shatter and break them. Brass knuckles were fitted onto fists and weapons appeared as the mob reached the poor end of town. Drunken fools who only thought they knew what pain was looked high and low searching they knew not what for, muttering under their breath words that made no sense. Finally someone yelled out and led the charge to his building. They steam-rolled their way through his flimsy door breaking it from it's hinges with the greatest of ease to find him sitting in the middle of the floor with his own eyes dull and lifeless.

He had known they would come but he had no choice about being here. The council had said he was to stay in his apartment all that day. The old woman had told him, when she had come by the previous evening that if he left the apartment at all that day she would know. She said she and her fellow council members would punish him if he disobeyed. So he had sat here all day listening as the anger had grown in his home village even though he had known what the outcome would be. They'd come for him when their pain reached it's max. And the old woman had known that also. He knew she did.

The village fell on him with their brass knuckles and broken bottles. He felt every blow but kept his tears and cries inside. They punched and kicked. Some picking him up and throwing him like a rag doll. He did nothing to fight back knowing from experience that would only make it worse. Besides if he fought back the council would punish him for hurting a citizen. Blood poured as rips appeared on his smooth skin but still he made not a single sound. The salty tears would not fall. The villagers pulled out their razor thin needles and poked him full of holes. Acid ate at open wounds and his face contorted in helpless pain but he kept his teeth together and held out as the multiple drugs swam in his bloodstream. Unknown to them that was a blessing for the boy as the drugs carried his mind away from the abuse he was suffering. They continued to beat on him, unknowing and uncaring that he was no longer capable of feeling their pain and anger. They broke every bone in his small body with their kicks and punches. Their broken bottles and knives left deep damage to his insides and poison leaked from a punctured kidney to add to the deadly mix already flowing in his veins. If he had been a normal boy he would surely die from his injuries this night.

Finally they tired of their late night festival ending sport and went to find an open bar leaving the child in a boneless heap upon the floor in a mess of his own blood and tissue. They needed more fuel for their anger and besides they had worked up quite a thirst in defeating the Demon who had taken their beloved Hokage from them. They stumbled out the broken door and wove their way through the rain filled darkness looking for the welcoming yellow glow that would signal an open bar.

Inside the apartment they had broken into, golden hair turned red and grew as eye teeth extended over the lower lip. If his eyes had been open and, anyone had been watching, they would have seen those blue eyes turning red with angry yellow slits. But they weren't and no one was, as Kyuubi took over her vessel for the time being. She did it quietly, masking her chakra so none would know as she tried to identify the ones who had hurt him this time. The now snout like nose lifted and sniffed the air as the red eyes opened and peered about. Rising on the broken legs, Kyuubi walked to the door and sniffed some more. She picked up the scent of the alcohol and unwashed bodies. Slowly she separated them one by one as she went into the street. The rain was doing it's best to wash away the scents but she wasn't the lead demon for nothing. Besides that, this was her kit, her vessel who was hurt and there was no way she wouldn't find the identity of every single person who'd hurt him this stormy night. She controlled her need to roar at the offending rain that was washing away the scents she needed to identify his attackers. He had no one but her to protect him and she was only angry she couldn't do a better job of taking care of him. She still gathered in the flavor of each person involved in tonight's little bit of fun. She would pay them back when they least expected it she determined. The boy had done nothing to them and it was the boy they were hurting. She contained her howl of anguish when she couldn't pick up their scents anymore and turned around.

She went back into the boy's rundown apartment and moved to the broken down excuse he called a bed. Really it was just a wooden box and a pile of blankets with a mouse chewed pillow at one end. Feeling the stress on the child's body she laid down on the moldy blankets and drew one over the child before submerging herself again inside his consciousness. From the interior of her cage she began to mend his small body using the great reserves of his own chakra. She guided the chakra into healing the most serious injuries first before moving onto the less threatening ones, reflecting on how stupid these mortals were. They actually believed it was her own chakra that caused the boy to heal so quickly but her chakra was toxic to all mortals and if any of them would stop to think for a minute they would know it was the child's own chakra that healed him. Only when all his injuries were healed enough not to hurt any more did she begin to cleanse his bloodstream.

She knew her actions would allow those who claimed to care for the child to revel in their ignorance as to tonight's activities but she couldn't help it. She couldn't let the child suffer a moment longer than was necessary just so they would lose the blinders they chose to wear. And she knew they did choose to wear the blinders that allowed them to think he was safe here in this town of fools. But she would leave behind the small reminders of his night. Only bruises, bumps and small cuts but still enough to tell them all was not well if they chose to see. She growled as she thought they hadn't seen them last week or the week before. She had been afraid to leave any injury large enough to get him sent to the hospital. She knew it was supposed to be a place of healing and for most of his kind it probably was but not for her vessel. For him, it was a place of torture and experimentation. And so he had begged her after the last time he got sent there to never let him be that hurt again. She promised him she wouldn't but in the weeks that followed she grew desperate. The attacks were coming more and more often and not always at night anymore. Sometimes they happened in broad daylight on crowded streets.

Kyuubi saw the child retreating. Hell, she held him during the attacks. It was she who heard his screams and cries of pain. She who witnessed his tears. She who knew how much they hurt but could do nothing. She saw as the child locked away his soul behind a never to be reached door. She cried as his smile disappeared replaced by eyes that had seen too much and were too old for the child they belonged to. His dreams, that had never really had a chance to grow, died under strange dust and powders he always managed to find a way to get. She had seen the first time he took the strange dust into his nose. The first pill he swallowed that wasn't an aspirin. She had tried to scare him into not doing it again but he just looked at her with those old, beaten eyes and waited her out. He knew her too well and knew she was no threat to him. She thought about how sad it was that a human child placed more trust in a demon than he did his fellow man but given what he went through it was understandable.

Over the next several weeks a more serious issue raised it's head. Her Kit stopped eating. They fought over it. She watched as he starved himself for lack of appetite and she knew it wasn't faked. He really hadn't been hungry. Over a period of months she'd watched, helpless, as he'd lost weight and no one noticed.

Kyuubi got desperate. If someone didn't help him soon he was going to fade away completely and there was nothing she could do about it. She could use his chakra to heal any physical injury he got during a beating but she couldn't manufacture vitamins and minerals to replenish his blood. She could only pace in her cell as his body took matters into it's own hands and began to feed on the supply of fat that cushioned his muscles before it turned on the muscles themselves. His clothes were so baggy anyway that they completely hid his weight loss. No one realized he was using a rope to keep his pants on. They probably wouldn't have thought anything of it if they had seen. He was only a poor orphan even to the best of them and everyone knew orphans had no money for nice things.

Finally she could contain herself no longer and one day while he was at school on the exercise yard, she tripped him. She entangled his legs so he couldn't get back on his feet and waited. Maybe now someone would notice her kit was in trouble. Three kids had run right over the top of him not even noticing him causing his spine to pop and him to cry out. That got noticed as the heavy footed boy turned around to see what made the noise. He saw Naruto laying there on the ground and began to laugh and point at the clumsy orphan.

His teacher had also seen. He came over and bent down to help the child stand back up. Unfortunately he used more strength then he needed to, expecting the boy to be heavier than he was. The result was her kit dangling in the air as the teacher stood up straight again. His pants had started to fall as he was lifted off the ground and the kit had grabbed them with his free hand as his classmates had erupted into laughter. Only a few of the children hadn't laughed at the boy struggling to keep his pants on hanging in the air from a teacher's grasp. For once, the kit looked an adult in the eye and Kyuubi heard the teacher draw in his breath. Inside her cage she cheered. The bruises under her kit's eyes only emphasized their glassy color and it was impossible for the teacher not to know them for what they were. She heard the teacher mutter, "Naruto, what has been happening to you?"

He had set the kit back on his feet and watched as the boy scampered away with his classmates in hot pursuit. What little energy the boy had, he used in trying to get away from the other kids. The pink haired girl was laughing and calling him names for wearing clothes that obviously didn't fit him as other children threw rocks and sticks at him. Finally it was time to go back inside the classroom and the teacher watched as several of the kids tried to trip the boy. The child kept his face neutral as he made his way to his seat in the back row.

The Teacher had watched the boy for the rest of the day and he didn't miss it when just a few minutes after the class resumed the child had passed out at his desk. Because he had been watching him, the teacher knew the child didn't just fall asleep.

Kyuubi did what she always did when this happened. She used Naruto's ears and nose to keep track of what happened so she could tell him when he came to again what he had missed. Later when the boy regained his senses he'd do every bit of the classwork he'd missed at home by candle light, since the oil lamp was out of oil again, though she knew he wouldn't turn the assignments in. That was another fight they always had.

She gloated in her mind now that she knew the teacher was worried about her vessel. But he wasn't the only one. There were three others who were watching the child also and they each seemed to know something was wrong. The little girl was always watching her vessel and the bigger boned boy was just sensitive to how others were feeling but the skinny one with his hair giving him a pineapple head was a surprise for Kyuubi. She watched and waited to see what would happen now. Surely someone would help her vessel now. It had taken all her trickiness to get him to trip right then and to keep him down but surely the teacher could and would help him now.

The dismissal bell rang and the children, happy to be freed for the day rushed outside. Those who had to pass her vessel took advantage of the crush of their fellows and Naruto's condition to poke or kick him as they passed. Some, like the pink haired girl, pinched him and tried to push him from his seat but Kyuubi used his chakra to glue his butt to the seat. Many whispered to him as they passed, calling him a demon and monster as their parents did.

Finally there were only four people besides her vessel still in the room. She kept track of them all using the vessels senses to track their movements.

"Iruka-sensei?" asked the pineapple haired boy.

"Yes Shikamaru?"

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's just tired. I'll let him sleep while I do some paperwork. Why don't you run along now and go watch clouds or something? I'm sure Chouji has run out of chips by now."

"Ano, but he's not just sleeping," said a small voice from near Naruto.

Although he knew, Iruka rose to his feet and walked back to the unconscious child. He felt for a pulse at the child's neck and found one but it was thready and weak. Erratic thumps barely felt by his fingertips.

The snack eating boy asked, "Is he gonna die, Sensei?"

A new voice laughed and said, "No. Nothing can kill that kid. Come on, Iruka. Wake the Brat up and let's go. We had plans tonight remember."

"Hai Mizuki. Unfortunately you'll have to make my apologies to everyone. One of my students needs me so I will be busy."

"Oh come on now. You're not gonna stand us up for him. Just wake him up and let's go."

"It's not that simple Mizuki. He's not just sleeping. I need to run him to the hospital and get him checked in."

"I can't believe you're gonna waste your energy on that. Just pick him up and dump him outside the door. Somebody will find him and take him there for us. We're gonna be late if we don't get a move on it." Mizuki didn't notice the narrowed gaze of the Nara boy or the sadness of the other two children as he tried to persuade Iruka to come with him.

"Sorry, but my students come first, Mizuki as they should for you also. Right now he needs me so you gon on and make my excuses to the others." Iruka ignored his fellow teacher as he prepared to remove Naruto from the desk.

"Ano," said the girl.

"What is it Hinata?"

"Ano, but he doesn't go to the hospital. TTTThey won't treat him there." She blushed and looked at her feet. Her fingers were rapidly pushing back and forth against each other as she said, "He goes to the Hokage be...cause the last time he went to the HHHHospital they ddddid som...some...thing bbbbad ttto him. Father says Hokage has him treated in his office now."

"Ok then I'll take him there right away." He bent down and lifted Naruto from his seat. He was again surprised by how easy it was to carry the child. He weighs next to nothing, he thought, as he gathered his papers and closed them in his desk. Then shooing the other three students and the angry Mizuki ahead of him he turned out the light and left the classroom.

Outside the building Mizuki tried once more to convince Iruka to just drop the brat off and come to the party but he knew it was a lost cause. Iruka was known for this type of behavior and demon brat or not he would stay with the boy until he knew what was wrong with him. The three children walked away also knowing their teacher would take care of their classmate. Hinata headed for her clans estate to tell her Father what had occurred while the two boys went off to find Chouji more snacks before laying down and watching the clouds. It would be a quiet afternoon for the two boys as Chouji knew Shika would want to figure out what was wrong with the blonde boy.

Iruka carried Naruto to the Hokage's tower. On the lower levels he met the suspicious stares of the ninjas who worked in the tower but paid them no mind as he carried his student up to the third floor where the Hokage did his business. Once he reached the outer office the secretary of the Hokage came rushing over.

"Oh Naruto-kun. What has happened now?" She tried to take the child from him but Iruka just held on tighter.

"One of my students told me to bring him here instead of the hospital. He passed out in class today and I can't rouse him," Iruka explained.

"Take him straight through to the Hokage. Sarutobi-sama always has time for Naruto-kun," the secretary said. "I'll call his doctor right away. He should be here in a few minutes."

The guards opened the door and Iruka entered the spacious office. Sarutobi listened to his explanation of the day's events and motioned for Iruka to lay the child on the couch along the back wall.

Iruka did his best to make the child comfortable and then turned to Sarutobi. He asked, "Is it ok if I ask some questions, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi nodded.

"I know he is eight years old but who is his guardian? I need to go have a face to face with that person."

"He doesn't have one. He lives by himself in an apartment I bought for him a few years before he entered the academy."

"Then who takes care of him? Makes sure he's ok? A child this young shouldn't be living alone." Iruka was stunned.

"He has no one to care for him, Iruka, and, given his life, he wouldn't trust anyone to do so. Adults frighten him for good reason. Once a week my Anbu go by the apartment to make sure he has clean clothes and food but other than that we leave him alone. He prefers it that way."

"But. . .He's just a child. What if he gets sick? Or hurt?" Iruka sputtered.

"His tenant takes care of him when he's hurt or sick but we do check up on him if he misses school for more than a day. The council sees to it he gets discipline for any misbehavior and I try to give him the other side of the coin but I don't have as much time for him as I'd like."

"Well then I have a bone to pick with his tenant. He's obviously not alright right now."

The doctor was ushered into the office and went straight to where Naruto lay. He pulled the child's shirt over his head, exposing the source of the problem. Bones were on prominent display through paper thin lily white skin that showed every trace of veins running through his small body. Multiple bruises and cuts littered his skin showing the extent of his recent beatings. The doctor ran his chakra encased hands over the small form. With a deep and tired sigh he pulled an IV array from his bag and began to assemble it. Working in silence he hooked the tubes and bag to the collapsible pole of the stand and proceed to send life giving fluid into the child's body. Once the monitor showed the IV was working he turned to Sarutobi.

"Ok well here it is. The child is severely under-weight. Why is anyone's guess but what is very clear is that if the situation is left untended he will die. Given his tenant I do not think that would be a good idea."

"Hm," said Sarutobi. "So all we need to do is make sure he eats if we want him to live."

"Yes," answered the Doctor. "But it won't be as easy as simply making sure there is something for him to eat. People do not get in this kind of shape simply because they have nothing to eat. They get this way when they choose not to eat. Usually they think they aren't hungry even if they really are."

"But how? Children normally just eat whatever is put in front of them. Well, most of the time," asked Iruka.

"He's depressed. Very depressed and that has suppressed his appetite. It isn't that he wants to die or anything like that. When people begin to starve themselves, dying is usually the last thought on their mind but with his tenant to heal all of his injuries, of which my scan showed plenty, he would know death is not an option. His tenant will do everything it can to keep him alive because his death means the death of the tenant as well. So the child has shut down. He is going through the motions of being alive without any intent or enjoyment of the day or events."

"What do you mean the scan showed injuries?" asked Sarutobi with a scowl.

The doctor indicated the ruptures and bruises on the child's chest. "Some of these are quite recent as in no older than a few hours. Others are quite old. There are bruises and abrasions under the ones you see. I only wish there was a way we could end this for him." He sighed and then continued, "The scan showed repeated injuries everywhere over his body. He has been through so much trauma that it is a wonder he didn't pass out sooner. Every bone showed signs of breakage and fractures, from simple hairline to spidery webs and all of his internal organs have been damaged and healed though they are probably still sore and bruised. If he didn't have his tenant he'd be dead already. Even Ibiki couldn't do this kind of damage to a person without them dying. But then if he didn't have his tenant this wouldn't be happening at all."

"But he's only a child! Who would do this to a little kid? Why?" Said Iruka beginning to pace the office.

"Because he's a scapegoat for their anger. They're angry that they couldn't save their loved ones and that they were too scared to try so they take it out on him. They know who the boy is but in their anger and self-pity they don't see a child. So they beat the hell out of him and hope he'll die figuring that will make everything better. It never does," answered Hiashi from the doorway.

"Hiashi-dono," said Sarutobi. "Did the council send you to check up on the boy?"

Hiashi inclined his head to Sarutobi and said, "No. I headed them off and told them I would find out what was the problem. I came as soon as Hinata got home and told me what happened at school because I knew they would try to interfere. What is your recommendation, Doctor?"

"Bedrest and plenty of nutrients if we want him to live. Normally I would put him into the hospital in the Psychiatric ward but for him that isn't an option. He will need someone to stay with him twenty-four hours a day though or we will lose him. This not eating has become a habit and he will go for as long as he can without eating anything if he is not watched carefully. He will not choose to make himself eat. His mind no longer recognizes that he needs food to live. He will also need to see a psychiatrist to help him get over the depression that led to the starvation. And I must warn you all. It will not be a short treatment. This is something he will fight for the rest of his life. There is probably more to this but I am not a psychiatrist and he's not conscious to talk to us anyway."

Once again Sarutobi said "Hmm," as he steepled his fingers under his chin and puffed away on his favorite pipe. "Well, that presents a problem for us."

"Why?" asked Iruka.

"Because he has noone he can stay with," answered Hiashi. "Anyone who did so would be taking their life into their hands if the villagers find out about it. And due to the council's insistence that they know exactly where he is at all times it wouldn't be long before the village did find out about it. And under no circumstances can he be admitted to any wing of the hospital."

"Bull," said Iruka. "He can stay with me. I'll take care of him and get him healthy again. I have a spare room he can sleep in and I'll make sure he eats too. Since he's my student he can go to school when I do and I'll be able to watch him all the time."

"Do you understand what you are saying?" asked Sarutobi. "He's not the usual sick child Iruka and what you are suggesting will have some serious consequences."

"If you mean whoever is beating him to a pulp will come after me so be it. They will not find me as helpless a target as a small defenseless boy," Iruka said angrily. His eyes flashed black fire and showed his determination to keep the child safe from harm.

Sarutobi looked to Hiashi who nodded. "I will assign some of my branch house members to keep the school teacher safe and the Hyuuga estate will provide emergency shelter for the pair should it be needed. Also, I'll do my best to delay the council finding out where the boy is staying for as long as possible. It won't be all that long though so get his defenses in place as quickly as you can."

"So be it then. Now who can we trust to be his psychiatrist?"

"I would suggest that you ask Yamanaka Inoichi. From the council meetings he has attended, I have sensed a sympathy for the child in his votes and comments. I think he is probably the only one we can trust not to make the situation worse for the boy. Besides his daughter is in the class also," said Hiashi. He smirked as he said, "My daughter doesn't like her much but then Hinata doesn't like anyone who picks on others."

"When can we get him settled in at my house?" asked Iruka.

"Why don't we let him rest here while you read up on exactly what you have gotten yourself into," suggested Sarutobi, rising from behind his desk and walking to his private files. He pulled out a thick file and walked across to the stunned teacher. "This is Naruto's file. Everything that we know he has been through since his birth is in this file and considering how little he complains I know it isn't complete. But I will not accept your offer of shelter until I know full well that you are making the offer with your eyes open and an informed mind. This boy can't take any more rejection."

"If this is settled I will arrange for my trusted people to watch over the boy at the teachers house." Hiashi received a nod and left the office. Iruka was immersed in the file and Sarutobi just sat watching. The teachers expressions ran the gamut of distress and anger as he read. Sorrow brought tears to his eyes as he read about the hidden torture room at the Orphanage where Naruto had been punished for every conceivable wrong both real and imagined. But through it all his determination rose to protect this child who noone had ever cared for before. He saw between the lines that this child had never known a single week without pain of some kind. Finally he raised his head and dropped the file he wasn't even halfway through. He looked at the small boy laying so helplessly on the couch and whispered, "Why?"

"Why what?" asked Sarutobi.

"When you put him into my class all you said was pay special attention to him. You never said he was going through this kind of crap. Why didn't you tell me?"

"When I put him in your class, you saw him the same way your fellows do. I had no way of knowing how you would react so I told you to watch him and I hoped you would figure it out on your own. You've always been a compassionate man but I needed, and he needed, you to care for him of your own free will. But I must warn you again. Caring for him too openly could be your death warrant. The last person who did care for him was killed in front of his eyes."

Iruka stared at the Hokage in shock. "What happened?" he breathed.

"She was a new employee at the orphanage Naruto lived in when I first met her. A young woman just starting to live life on her own knowing exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to be a teacher so while she went to school during the day she spent her nights working at the Home. Then one day she found something that threatened to destroy her. She had never seen how dark some people could be and what she found forced her eyes wide open."

"She came to me to make it all right again. But when a person sees what she saw you can never truly make it right again. She's the one who found him in the sub-basement, bound to the wall and bloody. She had taken him and hidden him while she came to get me because she was afraid they'd kill him while she was gone. She was right to be afraid. The headmistress discovered the child missing and when my Special Anbu and I arrived there was a very thorough search underway to find him. Anya went straight to him and, with the protection of the Anbu, she took him away from the Home after showing us the room where she had found him. I closed the Home and all the children were given new homes. Naruto was the only one who showed any signs of abuse but we interviewed everyone who had worked there and arrested any who had known of the situation and done nothing about it. Mostly it was through the kids themselves that we found out who all was involved. The children had seen and been used as weapons against Naruto. They kept track of exactly who had taken them into the room and who had merely told someone else on them for things they'd done. Those children tried their hardest to keep an accurate record of what happened." Sarutobi stopped speaking. "I won't tell you how bad the scene was but it was gruesome. Those who were involved will never do it again. Those who had only known and kept quiet were given community service for their silence while those who had taken part were given prison terms. The Headmistress was put to death because it was her idea to outfit the room in that manner and use it for that purpose."

"I set Anya and Naruto up in the apartment and she took care of him. She taught him to cook and clean as well as to read and write and encouraged him to laugh and play. She honestly saw him as just a normal little boy who'd been to hell. The villagers found out where they lived and when Naruto was four they broke in and killed her while she was trying to shield him. He could do nothing but watch and cry as they mutilated her remains. By the time my Anbu arrived, Naruto was a bloody mess. We figured he had tried to heal the damage not understanding she was dead but although his tenant is good at healing him, it can't heal anyone else. Since that night, he has never cried or laughed either. At least not where anyone could see it. The laughter he does engage in is not real. It's just a facade he puts up to keep adults from seeing him. It's like her death took away his ability to feel. She was just seventeen but she had more compassion than almost anyone else I know." Sarutobi fell silent and let his mind replay the gruesome scene they had found when they entered the apartment.

Iruka had subconsciously reached out to touch the small cold hand lying on the couch at the child's side. Tears ran freely down his cheeks and he did nothing to brush them aside. In a choked voice he said, "I will take her place. I will care for him as my parents cared for me. No matter what he will always have me to lean on. I am neither a seventeen year old girl or an eight year old boy. I am a ninja and anyone who thinks they can hurt him will have to go through me first."

Morning came and the Doctor came to change the bag and help with the move to Iruka's house. He said Naruto was sleeping normally now though he still hadn't woken up. The Doctor said that was probably more due to the lack of real rest then anything else. He explained to Iruka how even the subconscious would recognize when the body was in a safe location. Since he was so underweight and it had obviously been a long time since he was safe, his subconscious was taking advantage of being in a safe place for a change.

The special anbu accompanied them on their way and Inoichi was called to Sarutobi's office. Iruka walked between the Anbu carrying the unconscious child next to the Doctor who would set up the IV at his house before leaving to do his rounds at the hospital. The Doctor would have bodyguards discreetly watching over him since someone might have noticed him entering or leaving the tower already and figured out what was going on even if he didn't get spotted in the transport.

At Anbu headquarters arrangements were already being made to give the teacher around the clock protection so long as he had the child under his roof. The Anbu Commander knew this might be a long assignment for his squads since he had already heard the doctors prognosis so he gave them six hour shifts rather than the usual twelve hour ones. He also put six men on each squad and set the squads a code letter and specific shift so there'd be no problems with shift changes.

**Author Notes: Ok this was going to be another one-shot meant to go with Duties of a Sensei as a second step in the formation of the bond that connects Naruto and Iruka. But it's taking me a little longer to tell you everything I thought of with this one so there will be a couple more chapters to it. Please be nice and tell me what you think. Reviews are the best friend of a fan-fiction writer.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: No I don't own Naruto. Do you really think the guy who owns him would tell you this kind of story? Please send in your reviews. I need the feedback.**

Chapter Two

Run-Away

Naruto woke on his own about half an hour after the little party had arrived at Iruka's house. He opened his eyes to a strange ceiling and for a moment panic set in before he heard the reassuring tones of the doctor. "Shh, Naruto-kun. It's ok. You're safe," said the doctor in a soft voice. Naruto's head turned in his direction and he relaxed when he saw the face he expected to see. Then another person moved into view and the panic returned. The doctor kept his hand on the bony shoulder holding the child in the bed as well as calming him through the simple touch. "You're going to be staying with Iruka for a few months, Naruto-kun. You need a little help until you aren't sick any more." He watched as the child tensed up and fear entered his large blue eyes. The only emotions he had seen from the boy in months that weren't fake and they had to be fear and panic, he thought. He continued speaking softly, calmly, telling Naruto he was ill and this was something his amazing healing factor could do nothing about.

Unknown to either of them Naruto had already retreated from the conversation. He had run straight to Kyuubi's cage and passed right through the bars burying himself in her side. She had wrapped her tails around the shaking boy and gave her own comfort to him. On the outside Iruka and the doctor watched as the child's eyes drifted closed again and he relaxed. The doctor finished with the equipment and motioned for them to leave the room to talk. With a backwards glance at the small lump on the guest bed Iruka followed the Doctor out and they spoke in his small living room.

"When he wakes he will be very frightened. He has learned no adults can be fully trusted and most can't be trusted at all. I'm sure Hokage-sama has told you that but I'm also sure you don't fully understand what it means. You will have to make his food for him but expect him to eat nothing you don't eat first. Although his tenant can and will heal any poison that gets into him he has learned being poisoned isn't pleasant. Make small meals and make them as appetizing as you can. Remember he is just a child so fancy doesn't count as appetizing. Don't expect too much. He'll only eat one maybe two bites and he might throw it back up. Whatever you do, do not get angry with him over anything. He will take your anger badly. Count on it. If you can't get him to eat anything we'll have to try something else to get his weight up but I want to try real food first. You can reach me at the Hospital or here." He handed Iruka his business card with his address and contact information on it. "I suggest you finish reading his file while he's sleeping and come to terms with who he really is because I don't think you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into here. I think you are his only hope but you need to do this with your eyes open and most of all you need to care about him. The real him. If you don't we've already lost." He put his hat on his head and let himself out of the small house.

Iruka went back into the spare room and settled in a chair where he could keep an eye on his guest and the various machines while he pondered what he had learned since he'd gotten out of bed the day before. His day had gone so normal right up until Naruto had fallen that his mind was having a hard time coming to terms with it all. Sighing he decided to do as the doctor had suggested and opened the heavy file. He read more of what he determined should have been labeled as "101 Ways Not To Treat A Child".

Three hours later the boy woke up again and just lay there watching the man in the far chair. Iruka was intently reading about the torture the village put the child through and he was hating his fellow villagers a lot at the moment. He finished the report and glanced up to meet a pair of dull blue eyes.

"Good morning Naruto," he said careful to keep his voice calm and hide the rage he was feeling. "I'd let you get up but the Doctor said you need to conserve your energy. If you need the bathroom I can help you there but then it's straight back to bed for you." He watched as Naruto shook his head slowly. "Ok. Would you like to read something or play a game or maybe eat something?" Naruto didn't answer. Ok that's definitely not the Naruto I know, he thought. The Naruto I know would have been ranting about how he had his own place to stay and he would have been jumping around trying to prove he was alright. Someone knocked on his front door so he excused himself and went to find out who was there.

Naruto waited until the door shut behind him and jumped out of the bed. Luckily they hadn't undressed him, he thought, yanking the needle out of his hand and disconnecting the monitors. Quick as he could he ran to the window and opened it. Then he was on the sill and preparing to make a dash for freedom as an Anbu wearing a dog mask dropped down to block his escape. The Dog masked Anbu caught the little boy and set him back inside the room. He shook his head and pointed to the bed behind them. Naruto tried to stare him down while thinking desperately of another way to escape. He growled as his legs began to shake and his vision went blurry. His field of vision narrowed and sweat beaded on his forehead as panic set in. Finally too dizzy to stay upright any longer, he sank toward the floor but strong arms caught him before he made contact. From a distance Naruto heard, "Thank you, Dog. I didn't expect him to do that." He was put back in the bed, his shoes removed and covered up. It was only as the covers fell on him that he realized he was shivering.

"Naruto," said Iruka. "I told you, you weren't strong enough to get up right now. You never listen to me," he complained, hoping to at least coax a smile from the boy. Naruto didn't respond. He was too busy trying to make sense of his swimming senses to bother responding to his teacher. "Anyway, you have company. That's who was at the door. Mr. Yamanaka is a different kind of doctor that Hokage-sama wants to have you talk with for a little bit. Can you do that while I make you something to eat?" The whole time he had been talking Inoichi had been surveying his patient as Iruka had fussed over the positioning of the blankets and wiping away the sweat on the child's forehead.

"Just go make him some broth Iruka while we visit. It'll be ok even if he doesn't say a word today," said Inoichi.

As soon as the door closed Inoichi started talking. "So you aren't eating any more and you're getting people worried for you. Well, I guess it's about time someone noticed you're here. Too bad you had to slip this far for them to see you. Huh, Kid?" He was silent as he thought about his own little girl and how he would feel if it were her in the bed rather than this boy.

"Well, I guess I should start by telling you who I am and why the Hokage-sama wants me to get to know you better. Well, my name is Yamanaka Inoichi. I am Ino's father. I believe she is in your class though she probably doesn't know you exist. Too busy trying to be one of the popular kids to notice someone that everyone laughs at. No, Naruto I don't laugh at you and if I find out she has she will be in big trouble." He paused looking for a reaction from the quiet child who just stared at him with dull blue eyes. "As for why I was asked to come see you it's because of my unique ability to enter another's mind." He saw the fear enter the dull blue eyes and mentally sighed. Of course that would scare the child. It scared most people who were hiding things they didn't want anyone else to know though that normally didn't include children. He continued with his explanation, being careful to keep his voice neutral. "The Hokage and your doctor both want to know if you consciously did this to yourself or if this is just the result of not enough reason to care. Bluntly put Naruto, they want to know if you want to die. Can you tell me? Are you trying to die?" The eyes turned away and stared at the far wall. Inoichi sighed. So maybe he was, Inoichi thought. How hard his life had to be in order for a child his age to want to die. While he was thinking, Iruka came back with the cup of chicken broth. He set it with a piece of toast on the nightstand and helped Naruto into a sitting position so he could eat comfortably but Naruto paid no attention to the drink or the toast.

"Naruto, you have to eat," said Iruka. The child didn't even look at him. He just stayed in the position he was placed in and stared at the wall. Iruka shared a glance with Inoichi and then went back to trying to persuade Naruto to eat or drink the broth. Hours later the lids over the blue eyes drifted closed and Naruto slept. He didn't sleep deeply but it was a natural sleep and Iruka was surprised to notice the sun was going down. He'd had him here all day and hadn't managed to get a single bite in him. This was going to be harder than he thought. Inoichi had left a few hours back saying he'd be back the next day but he had another patient he needed to see. Iruka went to his own room and prepared for the evening. He changed into comfortable lounging clothes and got his papers from the school that still needed marking and settled at the desk in his room. He deliberately cleared his thoughts of his house guest so he could concentrate on the grading that he needed to do for the rest of his class.

Once his uninvited guests had left the lids snapped open and taking a deep breath Naruto saw the congealed grease on the surface of the broth. He couldn't repress a shudder as he saw it. He found his sandals and slipped them on. He stood there for a few minutes to let his legs adjust to his weight before hurriedly heading to the window. He checked carefully before sliding it open and leaned his head out. Quickly, before he could be spotted, he slipped out the window and landed on the ground under the window. He sat there for a few seconds waiting to be discovered before he stood and dashed into the shadows.

The old woman from the council had made it clear that he was expected to be in his apartment every night when the sun went down. He knew he was in big trouble if she found out he wasn't there tonight. Whimpering in his mind only he rushed through the lengthening shadows for the dubious safety of his run-down apartment. Getting back to the place where the villagers and the council expected him to be was all that mattered to him right now. He had to get home where he was safe. Well safer than he would be if he didn't make it back there.

In the shadows, he passed almost underneath one of the supposedly watching Anbu and into an alley that connected to another alley. The Anbu sneered as he saw the child slip past him but said nothing and stayed at his perch. Following the alleys, Naruto soon found himself in the district where his apartment was. He was shaking again, sweating and panting for breath. With his vision swimming in and out of focus, he knew he had no choice but to rest. He hoped it wouldn't lead to passing out again. He was getting very tired of that. He stopped and leaned on a building, praying that no one would come by and discover him out after sunset. He knew all too well what would happen if they did. The sweat had long since dried on his skin as he slipped further into the shadows and made his way to his door. He took out his key and let himself into his shabby apartment with a relieved breath. Searching the darkness of his small place he looked for anything that seemed out of place. Kyuubi assured him the place was untouched since he had left it the day before. He re-locked the door and slid through the dark room to his bed. Tiredly crawled into the pile of blankets that made up his bed. He closed his eyes and drifted into a light sleep.

Iruka finished marking the papers and stretched out his sore muscles. Then he put them all away in his briefcase before deciding to go check on his guest once more. It was after ten and maybe given his condition he'd be awake and bored. He opened the door quietly just in case he wasn't and peeked towards the bed. The covers were thrown back and as he approached to fix them he realized the bed was empty. He snapped on the overhead light and looked around the room. He noticed the open window and thought Oh No before running for his front door. He grabbed his keys off the peg as he pulled it open and dashed outside. Instantly Anbu formed up around him.

"He left. Probably hours ago. Why didn't any of you stop him? I have to go find him. Now." Iruka took off at a run as one Anbu sent orders to the rest.

Cat was the leader of this squad and once she figured out how the child slipped past them somebody was gonna be wishing they'd never met her. For now, finding the child was the priority. She followed after their primary as he headed straight for the boys apartment. Chances were the child had gone home but she kept her eyes peeled anyway just in case he hadn't made it there.

Twenty minutes later the chunnin was at the run-down apartment building. He wasn't sure which one was Naruto's and paused trying to figure out how to tell. Cat slipped past him and motioned for him to follow her. She knew, since she was one of the people the Hokage sent to make sure the boy had the necessary things to care for himself. And she was usually part of his guard during the festival. She led Iruka to Naruto's door and located the spare key under a siding panel by the window. She unlocked it and wrestled it open so that Iruka could go in and see if the child was there.

Iruka went in and turned on a light, only to groan when the light didn't work. Cat came over with a lit candle and handed it to the distraught teacher. In the dismal light, he couldn't see much but what he could see was disheartening. Dismay was written in bold relief on his face as he surveyed the shoddy condition of the apartment. He'd known Naruto was poor. All orphans were but this was worse than just being poor. It was clear he'd searched through dumpsters to get the few pieces of furniture he had if they could even be called furniture.

His table seemed to be a worn mat, spread on the kitchen floor with a few threadbare pillows for seating. Dark holes showed missing drawers and cabinet doors. In the living area, the main window allowed enough moonlight in to show him a beanbag, that was mostly slashed plastic with rags sticking through badly patched tears, leaned drunkenly against a wall and a bookshelf, on it's last legs, leaned just as drunkenly into a corner. The shelves were full to overflowing with books and scrolls. Other than that it seemed the child had nothing else.

The floor of both rooms showed years of neglect in the light provided by the moon and his little flickering candle. But as for the usual things you'd expect to find in someone's home Iruka saw nothing. There were no signs of the person who lived here anywhere. No pictures were hung on the walls or handdrawn and tacked to the refrigerator. No art projects in progress anywhere or signs that the child even had a hobby. The only thing that pointed to someone living here at all was the overflowing bookshelf. There was just an empty feeling everywhere.

Iruka walked to one of the doors in the back wall and opened it. It proved to be an empty closet. Well almost empty. There were some cleaning supplies in there and a change of clothes with pajamas but other than that it held nothing. He shut it and walked to the next door as the first door sprang back open.

This door proved to lead to a bathroom that was just as run-down as the rest of the place. Iruka was tempted to explore it also but the little candle didn't provide enough light to really see very well in the small space. So, shaking his head in disgust, Iruka turned away and noticed the small pile of cloth in the wooden box under the window. He walked over and found his charge sound asleep with the tears, he would never cry when he was awake, running freely from his eyes now. Whatever he was dreaming was not good and Iruka was tempted to wake him just to make it end but he knew, from the little of the file he had managed to read so far, that the child needed to cry. Kami knew if anyone had the right to cry it was this child. Kneeling down he settled in to wait for the tears to end. He'd take him home when it was over.

Then feeling the relief set in at finding the child safe he felt a need for tea. Getting up he walked into the kitchen and being careful not to step on the tablemat he walked to the cabinets. The one and only cabinet door, which hung crookedly by one hinge, creaked when he pulled it open and he saw ramen and more ramen. There was a small bag of rice and there, in a corner, green tea. A small bottle of honey was revealed when he set the box of tea on the countertop. He found a teapot that had definitely seen better days and filled it with water. The water ran from the faucet in a trickle but it did eventually fill the battered teapot. As he went to set it on the stove he saw it leaked. Water poured out of the teapot faster than it had from the faucet. A small waterfall was pouring from the side. He poured some of the water out and checked to see if the level was low enough. It still streamed so he spent a few more minutes pouring water back out until he could safely place it on the burner.

Waiting for the water to heat he took another look around. Although the place was obviously ready to be condemned there wasn't a spec of dirt or dust anywhere. The child kept the place as clean as he possibly could. Missing tiles pitted the floor in the kitchen as well as on the counters but the boy hadn't let those spots become any dirtier than the rest of the place. Though he had no real furniture it was clear he took as much pride as possible in his home.

The water came to a boil and he found a chipped tea cup in the cabinet without a door next to the sink. He made his tea hoping the cup didn't leak and went back to Naruto's side to drink it. How could the child stand to live in this dump he wondered. He eyed the bookshelf and wondered what was on the scrolls there. Thinking he could maybe learn a little more about this student he now knew he didn't really know at all, he stood up, taking his tea with him and the feeble candle, to investigate. Maybe he could see what the child liked to read to interest him when they got back to his place. He settled down on the beanbag and pulled a scroll from the stack. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw it was an assignment he'd given just that last week. One he knew Naruto hadn't bothered to turn in and therefore had received a zero on. He pulled more scrolls from the shelves and after opening a few his eyes narrowed as he came to the conclusion that the child had been lying to him for the whole year. The boy was far smarter than he let anyone know. Of course he didn't know when the work had been completed but somehow he just knew all the assignments had been done on time. Naruto, for some reason that defied logic, just hadn't turned any of them in. He walked to the door where Cat was on guard, leaving the stack of scrolls with his tea and candle by the beanbag.

"Can you get someone to take those scrolls to my place? I want to go through them all and see just how many right answers the child got. It will give us something to do while he is recovering."

Cat nodded and made a peculiar whistle. One of her crew landed on the stoop and she directed him to gather the scrolls and books from the shelves. Using hand signs she directed the man to take the things to the teachers place.

Just as the Anbu left, they heard the sounds of drunks coming home from the bars and Iruka wished he had already woken the boy and gotten him away. The noises came closer and he crossed his fingers that the owners lived in the building and were simply heading to their own places.

Quietly Cat blew out the feeble little candle after putting a finger to her lips. It was just the three of them so if those drunks were heading here they might have a serious fight on their hands. In the dark they didn't see the blue eyes pop open or hear the child leave his bedding. Moving silently as a ghost Naruto walked to the center of his small apartment and sat down on the bare floor. He sat there with his eyes fixed on his own front door waiting. He knew what was coming. He didn't have long to wait.

The men crashed into his door knocking it free of the jam and burst inside. The light of the moon blazed through the open door to show Naruto sitting cross-legged in the center of the apartment. The drunks wove their way to where he sat slurring their words and apparently not even seeing anyone but the boy calmly waiting for them. Cat signaled Iruka to grab the child as she jumped on the men from behind. Before Iruka could reach him, one of the drunks managed to grab Naruto. The drunk held the child up by his neck and punched with his free hand. He was ranting at the child and spittle was spraying in the boy's face but Naruto did not react. He knew better than to show emotion. He hung from the man's grasp as the drunk continued to pound on his small form. A rib shattered as the heavy fist connected with his side, eliciting a quiet groan. A bruise formed on top of the old one that was just beginning to fade away. A split lip sent a dribble of blood flowing down his chin and caused the child's eyes to roll back in his head. But surprisingly enough he didn't pass out. A moment later he opened those blue eyes and stared into the red face of the man beating him.

Cat was concentrating on reducing the number of the men able to fight while Iruka was contending with his own opponent. Naruto did nothing. In no way what-so-ever did he try to defend himself. From the corner of his eye, Iruka watched and wondered why the child just let the bully hurt him. Finally the drunk threw Naruto into the far wall of the apartment and staggered over to him. The eyes closed and this time they didn't reopen. He'd finally had all he could take. The drunk began raining kicks on the small form as one of his buddies slipped past Cat and joined him. Iruka tried desperately to free himself from the ox he fought but the man was so drunk he wouldn't stay down. Cat finally felled all but the two punching and kicking the child and the ox Iruka faced. Her team showed up and she angrily she motioned two of them to help their primary while the rest took on the two attacking the boy. She began picking the drunks up and throwing them bodily into the street three stories below to vent her rage. She was angry that not only had it taken too long to best the drunks but she'd let one of them slip past her to attack the boy. She didn't care how they landed or where, just so long as they weren't here anymore. One guy landed in the dumpster while another landed head first in a puddle. That one wouldn't be regaining his senses anytime soon was her vicious thought as she saw him land.

Other Anbu began appearing on the scene and she directed them to round the fools up and take them to the holding cells though the man who had landed head first would have to make a stop at the hospital first. For the man who actually was fighting with their primary she ordered him taken to Ibiki as well as the two who thought punching out a child made them brave heros.

Once the drunks were gone, Iruka set to cleaning himself up and watched as Naruto regained his senses. Naruto calmly walked to his small bathroom and came back with bandages, peroxide and antibiotic gel. Paying no attention to his own injuries, he proceeded to help Iruka clean his bloody knuckles and various scraps and cuts. Once satisfied the teacher was ok he took the medicines back to his bathroom and put them away. He washed his face and headed for his small bed.

"No Naruto. It's time to go home now," said Iruka.

Naruto shook his head. "I am home. And I must stay here. The old woman says I must be here every night after the sun sets. She says this is where I belong." The boy crawled under his moth-eaten blankets. He closed his eyes and tried to find a position that didn't hurt too much.

"Naruto," called Iruka, noticing for the first time the teacup he had been drinking from was shattered and a damp spot adorned the spot where it had spilt. "We need to leave. It isn't safe here for either of us. Come now. Let's go back to my place."

Tiredly Naruto said, "Go then Iruka-sensei. You're right. It isn't safe here for you. By tomorrow the village will know you were here tonight and you will be a target. Go home Sensei."

"But I am responsible for you too now. I can't leave you here alone."

"No one is responsible for a demon. I am a demon and therefore I deserve this place. You do not. Please leave and deny you even know me for your own safety." Naruto rolled over and drifted into sleep.

Iruka looked to the Anbu Cat with a wondering look. Even though she wore a mask and dark clothing to hide her from prying eyes the sadness she felt was clear to see. So was the fact that she had heard it before. Her head dropped as she took a position in the shadows of the cold apartment. She knew Iruka would not leave the boy here alone or force him back to the house he owned. Iruka found a few more blankets. He settled on the lumpy beanbag and covered himself as best he could with the blankets before going to sleep. He'd get the child back to his place in the morning he thought.

**Author Notes: And so the second chapter of Fight for a Life comes to a close. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Naruto in any way shape or form. Now quit with the lawsuit notices.**

Chapter Three

An Eye-Opening Visit to the Hospital

Morning light fought it's way through the many cracks of Naruto's main window. It refracted into rainbows of color that danced their way across the floor waking the tired Chunnin from his uncomfortable slumber. He was surprised to find Naruto up and preparing something in the kitchen. Rising groggily to his feet he went to see what the child was doing. On the floor the tablemat was set for one. Naruto turned away from the stove and poured the scrambled egg with sausage onto the plate and then turned back for the rice cake he had baked honey into. He indicated that Iruka should sit and eat and left to go to the bathroom all without saying a word.

In the privacy of his bathroom Naruto opened a hidden compartment and his medicine cabinet. Taking his stash out of the medicine cabinet he pulled out a green pill which he quickly swallowed before hiding the stash in the hidden compartment. He did grab enough pills to put on his happy, healthy face for the day first but that was all.

He hated the morning. He hated waking up alive but he knew he couldn't show that to anyone. Every night he hoped and prayed for morning to never come. Just to close his eyes and drift into sleep and never again wake up. But he always did. Morning always came and he would sigh and get up to face it reluctantly. He had tried hiding in the apartment once but Ojii-san had sent the Anbu to find out what was wrong with him. They let him know they were displeased with him for having to come find him. He'd never done it again. At least he'd never done it for longer than a day at a time. Sometimes he'd just go to the academy long enough to be counted as being there before ditching and coming back here to burrow away from the day But mostly that was just too dangerous due to his landlady or Anbu popping in to check up on his housekeeping. Mostly he just got up and popped enough pills to face the day and did what they expected of him.

He took a shower, as he needed time for the pill to kick in. He didn't bother to remove his battered orange jumpsuit as this was the best way he had of washing it. Only when the water streamed clear from the bottom of it did he peel it off. Turning his back to the spray he wrung the material as dry as he could get it and draped it over the edge of the shower door. While he was showering Kyuubi let his stomach growl at him but she knew the child would ignore it as the powerful drug kicked in.

He left the shower with a grin adorning his face and dressed quickly in another nauseating orange jumpsuit, stuffing his selection of drugs in safe locales about his person, before bounding out into the main room of the apartment. There he began to clean up from his middle of the night visitors as if it was an every day thing. He showed no signs of having been ill at all and, except for a single glance at his bookshelves, gave no indication he noticed anything missing from his shabby home. If Iruka hadn't known just exactly how ill the boy really was, he'd have noticed absolutely nothing unusual. Naruto was acting just as he always did. Hyper and loud.

"Time to go to school, Iruka-sensei," shouted the boy as he grabbed his books and headed for the door.

Iruka put his hand on Naruto's shoulder freezing him in place. He waited for the boy to look at him before he quietly said, "Oh no, young man. We are going back to my place and you are going to eat something and then straight to bed. Those are the doctor's orders and you will be following them."

"Why? I'm fine," sputtered Naruto. "See?" He gave Iruka his standard bright foxy grin but Iruka was too busy looking at his eyes to notice it. He saw the pinpoint pupils and said, "I don't know what you took but you are not going to school at all."

Naruto tried to shake Iruka's hand off his shoulder but the teacher held on with an iron grip as the Anbu Dog appeared behind the boy. He squirmed and tried to show he could stand just fine but sweat was beading on his forehead again and his vision was doing it's "let's go dark" thing again. Iruka and Dog watched as Naruto's eyes lost their focus and the child began shaking. Iruka let go of his shoulder thinking to maybe calm him down but the shaking grew worse. Naruto was watching the hypnotic silver sparks only he could see as his eyes slid shut and he slid once more towards the floor. Dog grabbed him and, putting the boy on his back, led the way out of the small apartment.

"Did you do something to make him pass out?" asked Iruka. Dog shook his head. "Oh I see. Let's take him by the doctor's place before we head for my place. I want the doctor to find out what he took this morning."

Dog nodded and headed for the Doctor's house. When they got there Iruka rang the bell and asked for the Doctor. As soon as the woman saw Naruto, she tried to slam the door in their faces but Iruka put his foot in the way and asked again for the doctor. "He's at the Hospital. Now get that filth off my property before someone sees it and don't come here again. I don't know why that man has to keep messing with that thing," they heard her mutter as the door slammed shut behind her.

They left and went to the hospital where they were greeted with much the same attitude. Only with a lot of patience and tongue biting did they manage to find out which floor the doctor was on. As they headed for the elevator a nurse came around the corner and when she saw Naruto she got a gleam in her eye that neither Dog nor Iruka liked. Dog tightened his grip on the boy.

"Oh it's back. Fifth floor will be so happy to see it again. Fifth floor has been so upset since it was taken away from them," the nurse gushed. "We'll admit it over here,"she said. "Just let me find the proper forms and we'll get it all straightened away. This time it won't escape us so easily."

Both Dog and Iruka had noted the number of times the woman had called Naruto it and both came to the conclusion that they needed to get out of here as fast as they possibly could. Iruka stammered, "He is already under a doctor's care. He doesn't need to be admitted right now. He's just sleeping." He backed up to the entrance doors with Dog and tried to slip away from the hospital only to find the gleaming nurse beside him with a clipboard of forms for him to fill out. Iruka didn't know what was on the fifth floor but somehow he didn't think it would be good for his student to be there.

"Don't be silly. Of course it does. Everyone needs to play the role they were born for and it's role is here. Just let us take it off your hands so you can get back to your own duties. It's delayed you enough. Just fill these out while I summon an aide to make it comfortable in the room. One of the doctors will see to it shortly." She smiled at the men and positively gloated at the child. "We know just how to treat it."

Just then the Doctor walked up and shooed her away. "Not this time Nurse Ilia. The boy is under my care. You will not be getting a chance to torment him today. Get back to your duties."

"Thank God," was heard coming from under the Dog mask causing both the doctor and the teacher to grin.

"Sorry about that. Most the staff just try to ignore Naruto when someone brings him here but unfortunately not all them do. Nurse Ilia works on the fifth floor where all the patients are terminal with not much time left. All the patients there have signed forms agreeing to try experimental treatments in the hope of extending their time or at least dulling their pain. If the fifth floor doctors and nurses had their way, Naruto would never be released from the hospital because there is always a need for testing treatments and medicines. But it's a better attitude than many of the villagers have towards him. Disgusting as I find it, at least to her, he has a use. A purpose." He shook his head and then asked, "Why did you come this morning?"

Iruka shuddered as he told him what had occurred since he had left them the day before and asked if he had the time to check the child over again. Neither of them saw the tight glare Dog was giving Nurse Ilia. His sensei's son was not a lab rat.

"Did you get him to eat anything yet?" asked the doctor as he led the way to an exam room.

"No not yet. I made him some broth and dry toast but he didn't touch it. Instead, he made breakfast for me this morning."

"Did you remember what I said about eating it yourself?" Iruka's wide eyed look confirmed his suspicions and he sighed. "It's important, Iruka. This child has been poisoned so many times by people he should have been able to trust that he trusts no one. You must show him the food and drink is safe. If you don't, he will not survive this." He indicated for Dog to lay Naruto on the table and pulled out a vial and needle to take a sample of his blood. He drew the blood and then checked the child over. In the process of his exam, Naruto's extra pills fell out of his pockets, though that wasn't the only place he had stashed them. He had come to and watched with apprehension as the doctor picked them up. He looked each one over carefully. "Self-medicating, are you, Little Man. This is so very dangerous."

"What do you mean?" asked Iruka. "I mean, I know for anyone to be using street drugs is bad but you sound like there's something that makes it worse for him than anyone else. Isn't it just universally bad news?"

"Most people would have a combination of different kinds of drugs. They'd have uppers as well as downers but Naruto doesn't. He's only taking anti-depressants. He knows he's depressed and is trying to hide it by taking street pills to make him appear happy. I'd say, having been his Doctor for a few years now, that he doesn't want anyone worrying about him." Looking straight at Naruto he said, "Do you?" Naruto gave a small barely noticable shudder and a single shake of his head.

"That's what makes this so dangerous. The pills suppress his appetite as well as give him a false sense of well-being. The pill or pills he took this morning should have disguised his condition well enough for him to have made it several hours before they wore off. But you said he got dizzy and disorientated soon after he came out of the bathroom. I will send someone to search his place later to find his stash. I'll need to know exactly what kind of pills he's been taking in order to assess a proper treatment for him and somehow I doubt he'd tell me the truth."

"One thing I do know for sure though. For the pill to have worn off that fast, it seems his tenant is worried more than I thought." He held out one of the pills. It was red with brown spots and didn't look all that imposing to Iruka but Dog drew in a sharp breath. Obviously he knew what the pill was. "This pill is a very strong anti-depressant. Usually I would only recommend this if a person was so close to suicide it was the only way to keep them from harming either themselves or someone else. While I'm not sure of the dosage of this pill I'd say it is still way too strong for a kid to take." He paused and shook his head.

"Now, while he's here I want to get an accurate reading of his weight and size before you leave. In order to know what diet to put him on I must have accurate information." Iruka and Dog helped Naruto Undress until he was standing in his underwear. Naruto stepped over to the scales in the corner. Trying to ignore his bony appearance, the doctor took down his weight, which was twenty-five pounds and twelve ounces. Then he measured his height before indicating he could get dressed again. "Ok I will spend the rest of today working up a nutrition plan for him but remember whatever you make for him you eat it too. Also tell Yamanaka to quit fooling around and find out what is going on in his head. We have no more time to waste here."

"Why? I mean I know he's underweight but you seem more concerned today then you were yesterday," Iruka asked.

"A normal weight for an eight year old child his height is between sixty to seventy-five pounds. He isn't just underweight, Iruka.. He passed that when his weight fell below the halfway mark. Now it is true that he is small for his age and premature babies forced into being born often have weight control issues that isn't the case here. Height wise he's not small enough to be considered undersized. He should be weighing at least sixty to sixty-five pounds minimum." The Doctor paused and took a deep breath. "When you get him back to your place I want someone in the room with him all the time. If the person needs to go to the bathroom someone else comes in to cover their absence. Don't even leave him alone while you answer the phone or door. I'm sure he has more of these," he indicated the pills, "somewhere and it only takes a second of inattention for him to swallow one. Don't let him burn up his energy with unnecessary movement if you can avoid it and if he goes to take a shower someone should go with him. That's not so much because of the pills as it is other things he can do that will harm his recovery."

"Like what?" asked Iruka. "Tell me as much as you know. He already tried twice now to get away from me." Trying not to let anyone hear him he added, "And I thought he liked me."

The doctor smiled, "He does like you but that doesn't mean he trusts you. He doesn't even trust me and I've been his doctor ever since the hospital instance when he was five. Anyway for what you can expect it's a long list. You can expect him to pass out if he uses too much energy whether it is standing in a shower or panicking over a strangers appearance or physical contact he doesn't expect. You can expect him to try and vomit any food you force him to eat when he doesn't want to or believes he has done something to deserve punishing. You can expect him to vomit anyway but especially if the food is too rich or he eats too much. Also expect gas attacks. His body has forgotten what it is like to be fed on a regular basis and chances are it will have trouble dealing with it. Try not to feed him more than once or twice a day until you can get him to eat more than a couple of bites. You'll know when it's time to increase his meals when he can successfully finish a normal sized meal and keep it down. Too much food presented to him will undue all the progress we make." He paused and Iruka waited knowing there was more. The doctor shut his eyes and then squared his shoulders. "You'll also need to watch for him to deliberately try to harm himself. I don't think he's suicidal but he is definitely depressed and due to the treatment he is used to receiving, he may believe he deserves to suffer. Since I know you won't harm him he may decide to take it upon himself to see to it that the suffering continues."

As Iruka nodded, Naruto got himself dressed after Dog had searched every garment for drugs first. Dog knew more about the habits of typical users than Iruka did and knew that if he had them in his pocket than it was likely he had others stashed in more unlikely locations as well. A sizable pile was found and left on the bedside table for the doctor to identify. Once he was dressed and ensconced on Dog's back again they left the facility. Iruka's head was swimming with all the information the doctor had given him and he wasn't sure he really could handle this at all but his honor demanded that he do his best.

Dog felt Naruto's sigh of relief once the fresh air of outside hit his skin. Obviously the child wasn't so out of it that he didn't know where they had been. And just as obviously he'd been afraid they'd leave him there. He smirked under his mask. No way in hell would he have left the child there no matter who had ordered him to but the boy didn't know that.

Iruka had heard the sigh also and he said, "He really doesn't trust anyone does he?" Dog shook his head but said nothing. Truthfully, like Cat the previous night, he couldn't talk while he wore the mask. Sometimes that was the hardest part of the job. "I hope I can handle this. Hokage-sama was right. This will be a big job but the most important thing I have ever done or ever will likely do again. I will not give up." Iruka clenched his fist as the fire of determination returned to his black eyes. Only Dog had felt the slight tensing of the boy on his back as Iruka had been speaking. He knew the child believed the teacher would give up on him even if it wasn't today. Calmly Dog pat the small arm around his neck.

The trio made their way back to Iruka's house and put Naruto back in the bed of the guest room. Dog stayed by the child's side while Iruka went to make the boy something to eat. Dog stared at the child in the bed and finally allowed himself to think about what he had heard that morning. Beaten the night before by drunks just because they could, terrorized this morning by a nurse who wanted to use him as a guinea pig for new procedures and drugs, twenty-five pounds total and a drug addict. His Sensei's son was dying and Dog finally faced it. Tears dripped under his mask as his shoulders shook but he refused to give up as he looked at the child lying so forlornly under the blankets. Naruto hadn't said a word since he had zoned out in the apartment and he didn't expect him to.

Iruka came back in with a tray holding three small plates. Scrambled eggs and glasses of juice with toast and a bowl of jam filled the tray and sent an appetizing aroma through the room. "I didn't make very much but I figured since he made these for me this morning he might actually like them. I do think you should remove your mask, Kakashi and eat with us. I know you are on duty right now but since we are inside and I already know who you are I don't see the need for it. Naruto already knows also so don't try to use him as an excuse."

Naruto opened his eyes and looked at Kakashi. He smiled a sad smile and weakly pushed himself up on the bed. Kakashi grabbed his shoulders to help him and positioned the pillows behind his back as Iruka fixed the tray across his lap.

Naruto looked at the food and immediately felt tired. Iruka settled into a chair beside him on the other side from where Kakashi sat. Iruka began to eat even though, since he had already eaten earlier, he wasn't hungry. Naruto watched as he swallowed every bite. He waited looking for signs that the food was no good but Iruka picked up his glass of juice and drank it in one long swallow. Again he felt Naruto watching him closely. "Now you eat, Naruto," said Iruka. In answer Naruto just pointed to Kakashi. He knew it was still possible for the food on his plate to be tainted so, quickly before Kakashi could get his mask off, Naruto switched plates with him.

Iruka was shocked and, he had to admit, hurt that the child was so suspicious but then if he had been through even half the stuff he'd read in the child's file he wouldn't have been all that trusting either. Someone knocked on the door and he rose to go answer it knowing it was likely someone from the academy come to get his lesson plan for his class. He answered the door to be met with a fist to the belly and a warning, "Stay away from the Demon or you're next. This village don't need no stinking Demon Lovers." Then the person kicked him and stormed off. He rubbed his tender stomach as he shut the door and went back to the spare room.

As he took his seat again he tried to rub his leg without Naruto seeing him but of course the boy did. He looked up to find the child staring at him with a look that plainly said, "I told you."

"It's not your fault, Naruto. Some people are just stupid. Now eat your breakfast." He watched as Naruto played with his chopsticks for a few minutes before dropping them tiredly on his tray. He hadn't taken a bite as far as Iruka could see but maybe Kakashi had gotten him to try it. Iruka looked to the Jonin as saw him shake his head. "Naruto," called Iruka. The boy looked at him. "One bite. Just take one bite. Ok?" Naruto sighed and picked up the sticks again. His hand trembled but he tried to pick up a bit of the eggs and bring them to his mouth. Truth was, he was hungry but he just didn't have the energy to eat anything. The egg spilt before he got it clear of the tray and he dropped the sticks.

Kakashi reached over and took the sticks. He placed a hand under Naruto's chin to turn his head towards himself. Since he had removed his mask, which was technically against the rules, and could talk freely, he said, "I'll feed you ok? Just this once, I'll feed you." A slight nod was all the response he got as he scooped a small bit of the eggs onto the chopsticks and guided them into the child's mouth. He waited as Naruto carefully chewed them and swallowed before loading the sticks again. He got the child to eat five bites over the course of an hour before the boy fell asleep.

A few hours later he was writhing in pain on the bed and crying out. Inoichi had shown up for his session and Iruka had passed the message on from the doctor. Both men had run to the room to see what could possibly be the matter. Naruto would scrunch up in a tight ball before throwing his legs and arms straight out as far as he could arching his back at the same time. Every time he went straight as a board he threw up a little of the food he'd eaten. His face reflected his pain as he writhed around.

Kakashi sat there, with his mask back in place, rubbing his back trying to make it go away and help settle the child but he had no clue as to the problem either. Inoichi however took one look and said, "He's got gas. Whatever you gave him this morning, has created tremendous gas in his system. This is how babies will react when they are allergic to their mother's milk. Dog, rub his stomach and Iruka make him a soda water drink. Just a small sip should relieve the pain enough for it to pass out of his system." Both men did as Inoichi suggested and when Naruto calmed down Iruka asked how he had known that.

"Ino was allergic to her mother's milk. We had to give her a special kind of milk or we'd have lost her. Now, since both the Hokage and his doctor want this done today, I'm going to enter his mind and see if I can find out how far gone he is. I need to do this so I can work up a plan to help him most efficiently." Both Iruka and Kakashi sat quietly waiting as Inoichi went lax in his chair.

**Author Notes: Well this chapter is done. Remember tell me what you think and let me know if something seems out of whack. As far as the weights given they are accurate. Being the mother of four boys I do know what they should weigh as eight year olds and what would be considered life threatening. For those of you who are interested Naruto in this story is Anorexic. It is a very serious condition that attacks both the mind and the body. It rarely ever happens to children as young as Naruto is but it can have it's beginning at his age. Considering the crap that I believe the villagers have put him through over the years I thought it plausible he might suffer from the disease. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Just like the last three chapters I'm still just a poor poor woman struggling to tend my children. Much too poor to have a maid let alone Naruto. Some poor over worked smuck owns him instead. But at least he writes a good tale! **

Chapter Four

A Talk with Kyuubi

Inoichi walked quietly along the dark corridors. He wasn't used to seeing the inside of someone's mind so dark and dreary. Especially not a child's mind but then again, this wasn't a normal run of the mill child. Most children had bright and playful minds. Sunshine gleamed off of favored toys that described their favorite activities. Flowers bloomed and animals chased each other through fun parks and fields. Laughter rang through their minds like air in the real world.

But not in Naruto's. Naruto's mind was full of clouds that blocked the sun. Everything was wet but it wasn't raining. A lone tree stood in the center of the mindscape with a knotted dingy rope hanging down. And there under the tree trying desperately to reach the end of the rope was Naruto's vision of himself. Inoichi saw the child and barely held back the gasp of shock at the way the child looked. Instead of bright blond hair that rivaled the sun he saw blood red lank strands that seemed to drip constantly. In real life the child was usually full of energy and bouncing around. Here he was barely clearing the ground with each leap he made to get the rope. Naruto only had three small scars shaped as whiskers on his cheeks in reality but in here he had scars everywhere. He had scars on his scars and his poor stunted body was horribly deformed. His spine twisted and bent forcing his face to look at the ground unless he tilted it to the side. One arm, his left hung crooked from the shoulder with both his elbow and hand backwards in their joints from how they should be. The other arm bent across his back, like it had gotten stuck that way when someone had twisted it behind the boy in order to force him to go where they wanted him to, when it was there at all. Inoichi saw it flicker and fade away for a moment before coming back into focus. And that only described the child from the waist up and from behind. Inoichi knew the boy had a serious problem if this was how he envisioned himself.

He walked over to the boy and watched as the child jumped for the end of the rope. It swayed out of his reach once then twice then a third time. But there was no breeze blowing here. The rope just refused to be caught. Then Inoichi noticed the rope that he had taken for being frayed and dingy was actually a tail. A fox's tail. He looked up into the tree and found himself looking into a pair of blood-red eyes.

"Fool," growled a voice causing the jumping child to settle and turn in his direction. He saw only empty holes where bright blue eyes that could challenge a sunny day sky should have been. The whisker marks were totally obscured by other scars that looked like they were the remnants of acid burns more than anything. The tattered clothing the child wore was also indicative of his state of mind with the rags do little to cover the many proofs of past injuries. Some of the scars were still open bleeding or seeping wounds.

"You shouldn't be here," said the child. "She doesn't like company." He moved closer to the tree and Inoichi was startled to see another tail drop down and wrap around the child, protectively.

"Why did you come?" asked the growling voice.

"I am trying to help Naruto. I need to know if he is purposely trying to kill himself or if he is just subconsciously doing a good job of it. I need to know what is wrong before we can set about fixing it. But from what I see before me it will be a long road to recovery."

The growling voice shouted, "That stupid village is what's wrong. Blaming him for something he had no control over and taking it out on him almost daily just because he was forced into this world."

"Forced? I don't understand," said Inoichi. "What I do know is he is dying if we can't get him to want to live. He doesn't weigh enough to sustain his body and his energy level should make that clear. Even here I can see he has no energy to play like a normal child."

"Of course he doesn't," growled the angry voice. All at once it dawned on Inoichi who he was talking to.

"Kyuubi?!," he stammered falling down on the wet ground. For the first time he heard the musical laugh of the child. Kyuubi fell out of the tree but still kept her tails wrapped around Naruto. Sitting on her haunches next to the child she inclined her head in Inoichi's direction.

"Can we talk Kyuubi? A lot of people are really worried about him and we really want to help him. We do need to know how he got this far and how we can help you keep him here with us. I know you don't want to die so it's in your best interest that we help him together."

"Stupid Mortal. You understand nothing. If this vessel of mine dies at this point in time it does not signify that I will also. Truth is, I will not die. Not yet. Instead I will take vengeance for him on every stupid villager that deigned to punish him for holding me." She tossed her snout into the air as Naruto placed a small hand on her side, leaning into her warm coat. Then closing her eyes, she dropped her gaze back to Inoichi. "However, you are correct. I do not want the child to die. He doesn't want me to take vengeance on this village for his treatment but even we who you consider to be evil itself do not treat our younglings like this. I know the longer he lives the more likely it will be that upon his death I will also die but he did me no wrong and I do not desire his death on my conscious. Your precious Yondaime," she spat the name out, "knew enough of my kind to know we would never voluntarily hurt a pure innocent. So you will fix it so that my vessel can eat again and I will see to it that the nutrients go where they are needed." The last was said in a tone that brooked no argument.

"But that's just it. I don't know why he can't eat. Or why he doesn't." Kyuubi just sat and stared at him. Could it be true that they really had no idea what had been done? She stood shaking her great head as she picked the child up in her tails and placing him on her back.

"Follow," said Kyuubi. She led the way to the doors Inoichi had known had to be there but in the dark hadn't been able to see. Kyuubi spoke quietly to Naruto for a moment.

"Open the door, Child. He needs to see."

Naruto shook his head with tears in his eyes. He knew what was locked behind the door and he didn't want to show anyone. He didn't want to see it again himself. "No," he whimpered. "He should just go away. I don't want him here. He doesn't need to know this. You said it was over. Done with. That I never have to see it again."

"And I meant it at the time but he does need to see it. He does need to know so he can help you live."

"I don't want to. If I have to go in there again I'd rather just die now." The child cried and Inoichi finally understood where all the moisture in here came from.

"So you know that if you die now what I will do. Are you saying you really do want me to get vengeance for you?" asked the tricky fox queen.

"No," whispered the broken boy. "You have to leave them alone. They don't mean to hurt me. Only you."

"And you think that makes it better? They hurt you because they want to hurt me and you don't want me to teach them the error of that thinking?"

"No." A small thumb made it's way to the bloody lips and slipped inside as the empty holes turned towards Inoichi. Around his thumb he begged the man. "Please just leave and forget about me. I don't really matter all that much. Please" Inoichi almost lost it when he saw that the child cried blood in place of tears.

"Kit!" snapped Kyuubi. "That won't work. Either you open the door and let him see or I will take my revenge on this fickle town when you die. Make your choice." The demon placed herself between the boy and the man who had invited himself here forcing the boy to face her and her alone.

"You won't leave me?" The voice was small and trembly.

"Of course I won't Kit. I could never leave you alone. Trust me," soothed the fox. Inoichi shook his head. He'd always been told how devious Kitsunes were and he still remembered the attack of the Kyuubi on the village eight years back. He had lost a daughter and a niece in the attack but this was a side of Kyuubi he had never dreamed existed. Inoichi stayed quiet and let the demon handle the boy. "You won't be alone this time. I'll stay right here with you but he needs to know. I won't let it hurt you anymore. It's just a memory now. Nothing more. Open the door." Trembling, Naruto placed a small hand on the faded blue door. A glow spread from his hand and when it fully covered the door it swung open. A terrified scream rent the air as Inoichi saw Kyuubi gather the boy close and hold him tightly to her. She sighed and led the way through the door.

"This is one of his least troublesome memories and it's pretty bad. But here is where it started. This is what led to the fix he's in today. When he first began to believe what that filth call him all the time." She led the way inside the room. Inoichi followed her swishing tails.

Inside the room Kyuubi stepped aside to allow Inoichi to view what was happening. There was a small child hanging suspended from shackles on the wall. He knew in a glance that the child was Naruto. In front of him was a woman with another child at her side. The child beside the woman was laughing but fear shone in the eyes of both children. Then Inoichi realized the woman was speaking to the shackled child. He strained to listen as her words became clear.

"Ayatah has been a bad girl today. You know what happens when you children are bad. Bad children must be punished but since you are the reason for the children here being bad you will take their punishment for them. Ayatah spilt her milk all over the dining hall so now you will suffer for her mess." A barbed whip appeared in the matron's hand and flicked towards the boy hanging from the shackles. Ayatah screamed and then covered her scream with a desperate laugh. The matron turned to her and said, "Again you do wrong. Why did you scream? You should be glad the demon takes your punishment. He is the cause of your misbehavior so I guess there is no help for it. No matter. Another fifty lashes should stop his mischief. At least for tonight anyway." The whip licked out and the matron's voice was soon lost in the screams and crying of the two children. Naruto's clothes hung from his bloody form in tatters which gained him fresh torment when the Matron pulled another weapon from the wall. This was a sickle type of instrument designed to rip hunks of flesh from it's victim and Inoichi watched as the matron tore gaping holes in the small form of the three maybe four year old Naruto. As quick as she ripped him up something was healing him. Blood still flowed but the wounds closed only to get ripped open again and again. A sudden call from outside the room and the woman vanished leaving the two children alone in the room. For a few minutes nothing seemed to happen. Inoichi could hear the ragged sobbing of the little girl cowering on the rocky floor. She sobbed for a few more minutes before wiping away her tears and looking over at the boy dangling limply from his chains.

The girl, Ayatah, walked over to Naruto and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I really didn't spill my milk. Jimie told us what happened when he did something wrong so we are all trying to be extra good for you. But she just ordered me to follow her and led me here. I didn't know what she was gonna do." Ayatah was still crying as Naruto looked at her and smiled. The smile didn't reach his eyes but she believe it was real anyway.

"Not your fault," he told her. "Don't let her see you cry. Be strong and get free of here." Then his head fell forward and the girl cried out, " Please, hang on. We're trying to figure out how to get you out of here. Please don't give up. None of us want this for you. We wouldn't want this for anyone. Please." Again the girl sank to the rocky floor crying as Inoichi saw the room reset itself. He knew he couldn't watch it a second time and backed out of the door as quick as he could. Kyuubi followed and the door shut behind them, once again going dark and quiet.

"That was horrible," Inoichi breathed, feeling sick to his stomach.

"Like I said that was mild. He holds worse." She indicated the room and now Inoichi could see the many dark doors lining the round wall. "Each door holds a memory and each one is worse than the last in this room. At least, in that room he had someone to give him some hope. This floor holds nothing but his bad memories. I suggest you never try to enter any room here without the two of us if you value your sanity. Now follow me to another room that should answer your questions as to how far gone he is." Once again, with horror in his expression, Inoichi found himself following the swishing tails of supposedly the deadliest demon of them all without any fear for his own safety. In his mind he heard himself wondering if he really wanted to know what could possibly be worse than the last room's memory. He counted the doors as they passed them. He had reached thirty by the time the Demon led him up a flight of stairs and there were still more doors he hadn't even seen yet. Just how many bad memories could one person hold anyway? Just how much could a person take before they went insane?

She led them to another floor and this one was slightly brighter though no drier than the last one. Here Inoichi counted only five doors. Though they were all brightly colored, they all had a sick twist to them. Kyuubi headed for a brown door with green, orange, red, yellow and purple slashing through it in random patterns. It wouldn't have been so bad if the colors didn't shift and move about. Looking at the door was enough to make a person dizzy and slightly ill. Once again Kyuubi set Naruto on his feet and told him to open the door. This time Naruto crossed his arms and shook his head defiantly.

"Open the door Kit or I will," said Kyuubi.

"You wouldn't do that," said an unsure Naruto.

"Yes I will. You are not going to die if I can stop you. Since he is here that means I can if he understands well enough. So I will override you if I have to. Now open the door."

Naruto shook his head which sent his bloody locks flying every which way. Droplets of blood flew around the room as he begged, "Don't make me tell him. Please, Kyu. Please."

"You will or I will. One way or another he will know before he leaves today," answered the Kyuubi.

Inoichi wondered just what Naruto didn't want anyone to know but held his peace as the Kyuubi argued with the child. It was interesting to note they had a parent child relationship between them but satisfying in a way too as it meant that at least someone cared enough to help the child.

Kyuubi picked up on his thoughts and must have shared them with Naruto because he found himself under scrutiny by both of them. Kyuubi said, "Someone had to. Your precious Hokage wasn't doing a very good job of caring for him and no one else would. Pathetic that a demon had to step in to care for a human child don't you think?" She sneered the last bit of her statement as once more Naruto leaned in close to her taking comfort from her form.

"Yes actually it is but I for one am glad you appear to care for him instead of wishing him harm. I admit I do not understand why but I'm glad none-the-less."

"He is innocent. He did nothing wrong and does not deserve the treatment he gets from his own kind. I will not add to his pain. The rest of your kind however. . .You are another story." Kyuubi's eyes narrowed as she growled low in her throat. Naruto reached a small hand to her muzzle and she focused on him again. "You're right Naruto. Now is not the time. Open the door please."

With a sigh Naruto opened the crazy door and led the way inside. The room was bright with sunshine as they entered. A small boy sat on a swing playing by himself. He wasn't hurting anyone or making a lot of noise. He was just swinging and smiling at the feel of the air rushing over his skin. Suddenly he was yanked from the swing and blows began raining on his small form everywhere. The sunshine disappeared and rain began to fall in sheets from the dark and tumultuous sky. But it wasn't real rain that fell from the sky. Inoichi knew it was tears. Tears the child never allowed to fall in the real world fell freely here. Mixed in with the tears was blood. Enough of it to flood the world. Everything looked washed in pink dye as Inoichi watched the bullies pull the child into and alley and strip him of his clothing. They rained blows until they got bored and then they found something worse to do. From their pockets they brought forth large quantities of pills and potions. They shoved the pills in his mouth and laughed as he tried to spit them out. Finally tiring of getting bit they bent him over and found a new way to get the pills in his system. Needles appeared as they filled the syringes with the potions in the vials. One by one they injected their concoctions into him and watched as he faded away on a high he couldn't resist. Inoichi watched as the child was degraded and humiliated. The bullies laughed and thanked him for the good time he'd provided before they ran away. Naruto dragged himself bloody and broken from the alley so stoned he could barely move and went to his apartment. There Inoichi was expecting the vision to end but it didn't. A few seconds after he'd gotten home a mountain of a man appeared and beat him again. He too took advantage of the child before he left laughing at the oh so strong and powerful demon. With tears streaming from his eyes Inoichi fled the room. He didn't care if there was more to this memory or not. This was more than he'd been prepared for and he thought he knew everything the child had gone through before coming into his mind. But he'd never heard of this attack. There was no report on this. If he ever saw those bullies or that man he'd kill them. He'd kill all of them. He felt a small hand touch his face and a feeling of calm took away some of the pain. While the tears were still falling, and Inoichi knew he was crying in the real world also, some of the horror of what he'd just seen went away.

Naruto told him, "There. Now you can talk about it when you need to. And now Ino won't lose her daddy either. The memory is mine again." Inoichi saw the sadness in the small face and even though there were no eyes he swore he could see immense pain in the black holes.

Kyuubi had followed the stricken man from the room and waited while he composed himself. When she saw he had regained some control she said, "Since you left before the memory finished let me fill you in on why it is here instead of on the other floor. He found out that night that drugs could allow him to not feel what was done. Over the next several weeks he experimented and found that some would allow him to appear normal to everyone else while blocking his mind from having to deal with that. With the drugs, he doesn't have to think or feel. What they do when he's high, they do to someone who's not there and that makes this one of his happy memories. It's also why the door is so nauseating. But the side effect is one he won't acknowledge. He has no appetite because every time he comes down he takes another and goes flying again. I could simply flush them all away but what would be the point? He'd just take more and I can't blame him wanting to escape from that. Can you?" She looked Inoichi straight in the eye and waited for the small shake of his head before she said, "Now I need to take care of my Kit. As traumatic as this has been for you, it's been worse for him because he was actually the one it happened to. Please leave."

Inoichi bowed to Kyuubi. He said, "If there are more questions may I come again?"

"Yes, I suppose, since it is unlikely he will answer you then you will have to."

"Why do you think he will not answer my questions?"

"You invaded his mind and I doubt it was with his permission since I know he was sleeping at the time. That, he will see as a betrayal of trust, not that he trust any of his own kind much, and he will know you were here. I do not make him relive those memories that are locked away. Ever."

"So because you showed me he will know even though he might think it a dream or nightmare."

"He will know. He is smarter than he let's on. Now go. I have to make it end for him and I can't do that with you here."

"What do you mean "Make it end"? You aren't going to hurt him are you?"

Kyuubi turned towards him in a flash and sent a tail flying towards him with such rage that Inoichi found himself running backwards, seeing once again the same Demon that had attacked the village eight years earlier. "I will never hurt this Kit!" she roared. "But if I don't help him the nightmares from those two rooms will continue to play over and over in his mind. He won't be able to shut them out. Even if he wakes up. Now get OUT!" She flung out her tails and Inoichi found himself fling back into his own body where he was slouched over in a most uncomfortable position.

Once back in his body Inoichi took a deep shuddering breath and stammered, "I am so very sorry Naruto. You did not deserve any of that." Giving a pat on the hand to the child he stood up and left the room with Iruka following him.

"Did you find out anything?" asked Iruka.

"Yes. I found out that child knows hell up close and personal. And no one deserves his life least of all him. But he is far stronger than I am. I would have cracked under all that he has been through long ago." He shook his head as he turned haunted eyes towards the teacher. "Never ever call that child a loser or weak. He is anything but. I must make my report to Hokage-sama and then go get very very very drunk but believe in him Iruka-sensei. Believe in him. He's better than you know." With that said he turned and left the stunned teacher standing there with his mouth agape.

Once in Sarutobi's office he met behind closed doors with both the Hokage and Naruto's personal doctor. Sarutobi took one look at Inoichi's face and pulled out his special bttle and three saucers. He poured a small drink for both the Doctor and himself and a larger one for the trembling Yamanaka. Inoichi wasted no time in downing the fiery beverage. Silently Sarutobi refilled the saucer and waited until he was ready to speak. He was a good leader and one thing all good leaders know is when to stay quiet and wait.

With stumbling halting words the story of the two memories he had been shown spilled out. He also told both men how the Kyuubi was caring for the child. He voiced his suspicion that it was the Kyuubi who had brought the whole situation to their attention in the first place.

"How do you figure that?" asked Sarutobi.

"She said if we get the food into his body she will make sure that the nutrients go where they are needed most. That tells me she had something to do with his fall at school and the fact that he couldn't get back up. I know you knew something of the first memory she had him show me but that second one which she claimed was less traumatic than the first one I know there was never a report on. I know no one ever reported him getting raped yet that is what I saw. I think because she is a demon she doesn't know just how destructive that memory really is. Either that or she thinks that because they stuffed him so full of drugs that he just didn't feel it the same way he feels the others. I don't know but the fact that he chooses to take the drugs still shows me he knows exactly what happened and thinks he can't handle it without them. I'd like permission to take the memories away if I can find a way to do it that doesn't leave him mindless and empty."

"You mean empty, like he's trying so hard to be," said Sarutobi.

"Yeah. But he's anything but empty. Most people only have a big empty space where the dominant personality trait is displayed. Off that room are the doors of less important traits. Each of those doors holds memories involved with that trait. Naruto has floors of memories. He has actual stairs in his mind but the sunshine in his mind is a rare and fleeting thing. He cries so much in there that the place is dank and dreary all the time. That child's mind is so full of doors even if I spent the rest of my life at it I doubt I'd see all of what he's been through. I was counting them as Kyuubi led me to the second door and I'd reached thirty with at least twice as many still stretching out before me. Ibiki wouldn't even considering doing half that to an enemy let alone to a child."

"Yes I know. A normal person would have died years ago at what he has been through. I'm not sure Kyuubi did him any favors in healing him up each time," said the Doctor.

"That's another thing. I asked her about why she was healing him instead of just letting him die and she told me that he deserved to live. That he doesn't want to die. He wants to grow up and protect us from her. I asked her what she meant by that and she told me if he dies now she will not die with him. She will be set free and she will take her revenge for him on this village that has seen fit to torture the child who was forced into this world just because he contains her essence. I asked what she meant by saying he was forced into the world but she didn't answer me."

"Naruto wasn't due to be born on October tenth. He was induced on that night because the village would not still be standing if we had waited for him to be born naturally. Kyuubi would have destroyed the village and he would have died before he was ever born," explained Sarutobi.

"Then why not just use a different child?"

"Several reasons but I guess the most important one was the premature chakra coils that the seal required. That and the only other children that would have been young enough were unsuitable. Nara Shikamaru is heir to his clan and doesn't possess a strong enough will to contain the strongest of the demons. Uchiha Sasuke is also unsuitable. As a second son he met one requirement but his chakra pool is insufficient to contain and power the seal. As well as the slightly dark nature of the Uchiha clan made him an unsuitable choice. It was unclear as to whether he would voluntarily choose to contain the darkness that is Kyuubi," explained Sarutobi.

"So Naruto was induced a month early and used as the sacrifice. Well almost a month. His mother didn't survive the birthing because the doctors were scared and panicking that he wasn't coming fast enough. She literally bled to death because they gave her too many drugs in the hopes of speeding up the process that her blood couldn't clot itself,"added the Doctor.

"So that's what she meant when she made the crack about him being a pure innocent and the Yondaime knowing it was the one true weakness of the demonkind. That poor kid. But why him? It seems like you all were sure he would be the right choice but how?"

"We knew. Let's leave it at that. What exactly did she say about pure innocence being the weakness of demonkind?" Sarutobi smiled in a way that let Inoichi know it was time to drop the issue.

"She said that the Yondaime had designed the seal to work around the pure innocence. . . No that's not quite right." He bent his head in thought and then said, "we were talking about why she didn't just let the child die and she said "because your precious Yondaime knew that we would never voluntarily hurt a pure innocent" I derived from her statement that not only is allowing Naruto to die on the hurting a pure innocent list so is breaking the seal that holds her inside of him and yes by the way Kyuubi is definitely female. She acts like a mother to the boy, healing his wounds and soothing his nightmares away." Inoichi fell silent and just sat watching the sake swirling in the saucer Sarutobi had handed him when he arrived.

"Anyway," said the Doctor, "I need to work up a treatment plan now that we know he does actually want to live and see about putting a few more pounds on his frame. I'll prescribe some less appetite suppressing drugs that should help him cope but Inoichi you're gonna have to continue working with him to get him to face and deal with them so we can eventually take him off the drugs. If he stays on them, the council will never let him be a ninja."

"Oh they will have no choice about that," said Sarutobi grimly. "I will not let them keep him from it so long as it is what he wants. It's the only dream he has. His only goal."

**Author Note: Long chapter I know but I wanted to get the whole mind scene done in a single chapter instead of spreading it out. And it was just more logical to finish with Inoichi before ending the chapter than it was to come back to him in the next one. Next chapter we're back to Iruka, Kakashi and Naruto. Remember to send me your comments in a review please. Thank you.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto I would get a lot more feedback than I do. Thank goodness I write for my own pleasure (and to get the ideas out of my head) instead of for money. I'd be starving if I was doing this for money. Kishimoto owns Naruto and he won't answer my pleas for negotiations. **

Chapter Five

Revelations

Iruka spent the afternoon watching Naruto sleep and playing cards with Kakashi. Both of them had their attention focused more on the boy in the bed than the game they were trying to play. Around one Naruto woke up. He jerked awake and glanced around the room in a small panic. Once his eyes fell on Kakashi he settled and the tension bled out of his frame.

"You're safe Naruto," said Kakashi as Iruka asked if he was hungry since he'd slept through the lunch hour.

Naruto grimaced and shook his head remembering the gas attack earlier and having no wish to suffer it again. His small fingers darted into the waistband of his underpants as his eyes watched for an opportunity to take the pill they found secreted there. Even though Kyuubi had kept him safely asleep until she could take away the memories again he really wanted the freedom he found in his little friends. Besides just because Kyuubi thought he was safe here didn't mean he was. She had thought that before and they'd both learned better. He waited with the small pill clutched in his fingers.

Soon both Kakashi and Iruka were looking away and quick as a flash his hand flew to his mouth. Just as he inserted the pill Kakashi looked at him again. In a blur he was across the room and prying Naruto's jaws apart as the child's throat worked to swallow the pill dry.

"No more Naruto. You don't need those anymore. Open up and spit it out," said Kakashi but Naruto had succeeded in swallowing it and within a few minutes his eyes went overly bright and glassy. Kakashi sank onto the side of his bed and pulled the boy forward. Naruto struggled to get free, suddenly afraid but he couldn't break the grasp and soon settled down as if accepting whatever would happen. His face was buried in Kakashi's chest.

Iruka was stunned at the card table where he and Kakashi had been playing their little game. He hadn't thought to check the boy for more pills after they thought they had found them all at the hospital. The sheer number he had on him then had dismayed them all.

"Ah Naruto. Why?" asked Kakashi.

A mumbled reply came from his chest. He held the boy away some so he could hear what he said and Naruto said, "Why what?"

"How do you get those? Surely no one in their right minds would give or sell them to you."

"If you have the right price everything is for sale, Dog-san." said Naruto seriously.

"But where do you get the money for them?"

"They don't want money. Could you let me go please?"

A harder hug and Kakashi let his arms fall to his sides**. **He didn't want to think about what payment Naruto gave to get his drugs but he did want to find the bastards that would push their crap onto innocent children**. **He stood up and walked from the room with barely contained rage as Naruto began climbing from the bed**.** A few seconds later both Iruak and Naruto could hear a pounding outside in Iruka's small backyard enclosure. Both of them went to the window to see Kakashi beating his fists against an inoffensive tree as if the tree had done the deed. Naruto shook his head before deciding that adults were truly odd creatures.

He went across the hall to the bathroom and after using the toilet looked at the tiny window**. **He wondered if he would fit through it and then decided he didn't need to find out yet**. **It wasn't time for his nightly beating yet so he didn't have to leave here just now. Besides maybe the drunks wouldn't show up tonight and he'd be safe in not being there at all. It was a lot warmer here at Iruka-sensei's house than at his.

When he came out of the bathroom he found both Iruka and Kakashi waiting for him. "Ok Naruto," said Iruka. "I am going to go get you some decent clothes. Kakashi is going to stay with you and so help me you had better be here when I get back. I don't want to have to go chasing you around Konoha again today." The teacher shook his finger in Naruto's face as he was speaking.

Naruto grinned and yelled, "Where would I go? You always find me Sensei." He threw his arms around the teacher and after a quick hard squeeze backed off. Both men just looked at the boy. They had almost forgotten how loud he could be in the total transformation they'd been living with for the past two days. That drug he took must have been very powerful. After sharing a grim look with Kakashi, Iruka left the house to run his errands.

While Iruka visited the shops to get decent clothes and supplies for Naruto Kakashi stayed with the boy and tried to keep him entertained. He said nothing about the drugs feeling it wasn't his place since the child did have two different doctors taking care of him and both of them were far more qualified to care for the boy than he was. All he could do was watch over the child and keep him safe.

They spent some time with Naruto fidgeting on the bed while Kakashi pretended to read his little orange book. After about half an hour Naruto was going stir crazy. He wasn't used to just sitting around with nothing to do and it was driving him nuts now. He wandered out to the livingroom and found his textbooks that Iruka kept for those nights when Iruka knew it wasn't safe for him to go home. The teacher never knew he was only making things worse because Naruto never told him.

Pulling out the books he began to go over old material and refresh his mind of lessons he had already learned. He tried to practice the Bushin technique but Kakashi stopped him.

"You shouldn't do that right now Naruto. Your body isn't strong enough. Even though you definitely have the chakra to do it, if you try to use too much of it right now you'll cause more harm to yourself than good and it probably still won't work."

"But...if I don't master this I can't ever graduate," whined Naruto.

That gave Kakashi the opening he was looking for. "Naruto you do know you can't ever be a ninja if you are taking drugs don't you? Even nins who are hurt in the line of duty and on medication have to stop being a ninja until they don't need the meds anymore."

Naruto stared at him. He didn't make any response. Just stared. I can't be a ninja since they know about my little friends, he thought. Then why are they keeping me here? I can't stop taking them. I need them.

"You probably think those pills are helping you cope with your life but they are hurting you also. And drugs are something an enemy can use against you. If an enemy were to find out that you take a certain kind of medicine on a regular basis they can mess with your supply to where what you take isn't what you think it is. Then when you go on a mission you could endanger not only yourself but your whole team. All of you could end up not coming back just because one person was on drugs. That's why we don't allow people to become ninjas who have issues with them. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded but still he said nothing. In his mind he was wondering why Dog-san was still here. It was clear he didn't think Naruto would ever graduate the academy and become a ninja so why stay here with him now? He decided to ask him even though he thought he'd lie.

"If I can't ever become a ninja then why keep me here? Why not go find someone worthy of protecting?"

"Because you are worthy of protecting. Just because you're not doing too well right now doesn't mean we are ready to give up on you. You still have time to get better and kick this habit. I will fight for you because you can not fight for yourself," answered Kakashi looking the child straight in the eye.

"As will I, Naruto-kun," said Sarutobi, from the front door. Naruto looked up and saw there at the door stood Iruka-sensei, Sarutobi-Ojii-san, his doctor and Yamanaka-san. One by one each of them told him the same thing.

Iruka walked over with his arms full of packages and knelt down in front of the child who was quick becoming the center of his world. "We will all fight for you because no one should have to be all alone in this world and you have faced more monsters than any of us even knew existed. Right now you're tired and need to rest so we will fight your monsters for you until you are able to fight on your own again. But this time when you fight you will do so armed with everything we can teach you so they can't ever do this to you again. Together we will make you stronger than they are."

"Not that he isn't already," said Inoichi. "I only wish my daughter had half his strength. If she did I'd never worry about her again. But she doesn't have to go through the same things you have Naruto-kun and for that I am ever so grateful. However I will help you learn better ways of dealing with your battles than those pills you take if you promise not to take them anymore. Will you promise me that Naruto?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he thought about it. Both Kakashi and Iruka noticed he was beginning to sweat and shake again. He'd been too long on his feet and the toll of simply standing was beginning to show. Cautiously they pushed him into a sitting position.

"Ojii-san?" whispered Naruto.

Sarutobi knew what the child was asking and went over to where he was without a word. He picked the boy up and carried him back into his bedroom. Naruto wasn't used to this kind of a crowd and he didn't want to show a weakness they could exploit but he couldn't get away right then under his own steam. So he had called for the one person he truly trusted to get him out of the way. As he started to carry the boy away he motioned for everyone to just stay where they were. As old as Sarutobi was he thought he might have trouble carrying Naruto but he didn't.

Once they reached the spare room Sarutobi set the child on the bed and closed the door. He sat beside the boy and waited knowing that Naruto would talk when he was ready. When he had figured out exactly what he wanted to say. Silence reigned for about ten minutes before Naruto opened his mouth.

"I can't be a ninja anymore can I Ojii-san? Once the council finds out about my pills, they'll take me out of the academy. Won't they? Where will I live then, Ojii-san? I only got my apartment because I'm in the academy. I'm sorry I did something so stupid." Tears rolled down his cheeks and filled the furrows of his whisker marks before dripping off to fall on his t-shirt.

"No Naruto. You won't lose your dream. I won't let them kick you out. If they think you're too weak to be a ninja we'll just arrange a demonstration for them of what you've had to deal with that will change their minds in a hurry. But I had a question for you."

Naruto looked at him, wondering what he had meant about arranging a demonstration.

"You told Iruka that the old lady said you had to be in the apartment every night by the time the sun goes down. Who is the old lady? I want to have a word with her about that."

"I'm not supposed to tell. She said it's for my own safety."

"So she told you to be somewhere the mobs can easily find you for your own safety? I don't think so. If she was looking out for your well-being she wouldn't have told you not to tell me who she is."

Naruto already knew the old woman wasn't looking out for his safety when she told him that and he knew full well why he wasn't supposed to tell anyone. He had long since figured out that she had spread the word as to where he lived and what time of day he could most easily be found there. He also knew that to tell anyone of her would mean an extra visit from the Nightmare Man. He asked Kyuubi what he should do. He trusted Ojii-san but he knew she had Nightmare Man to make him regret what he'd said.

Kyuubi thought it over. She told her Kit to let her talk to the old man. She promised not to hurt him and give back the full control as soon as she made the old man understand. She only wanted to use his mouth and speech center so Naruto retreated after he told Ojii-san, "Kyuubi said to let her talk to you. She won't hurt you at all, I promise. Will you talk with her?"

Sarutobi hid his shock and nodded slowly. He watched as Naruto retreated mentally. The same blue eyes stared out at him but when Naruto opened his mouth a much more feminine version came out.

"Hello, Hokage-sama. Do you know of the one called the Nightmare Man by the children?"

Sarutobi tried to keep cool and maintain an air of nonchalance but it wasn't every day one came face to face with a demon and found out that everything you thought you knew was wrong. When Kyuubi had attacked the village eight years earlier everyone assumed it was a male but this voice clearly showed the Kyuubi thought of itself as female. Trying to downplay his surprise he thought about the question. He had never heard of the Nightmare Man but that wasn't surprising. He rarely got to walk the streets of the village and interact with the people he worked so hard to protect. He shook his head in denial and waited to see what else she would tell him.

"That is disappointing. I am afraid I can not tell you the identity of the woman until you find and get rid of the Nightmare Man. Once you have done this come back and tell me. I will gladly tell you who she is since Kit won't let me destroy her."

"Couldn't you destroy the Nightmare Man and why exactly am I looking for him anyway? What does he have to do with the woman?" Sarutobi was not normally one given to slowness but right this minute shock was forcing him to speak his thoughts outloud and the look he was receiving from what appeared to be an eight year old boy would have had half the adults in the village beating the child up.

"I could easily destroy that piece of filth but Kit won't let me after the last guy I got rid of for him. He made me promise that never again would I kill someone simply because they weren't nice. His words," she growled and gave a disgusted snort. "Otherwise the woman would also be gone already." Sarutobi laughed and as the sound rebounded in the room his eyes opened wide. He was laughing at a demon! And not just any demon either. He was laughing at the meanest, baddest, toughest demon of them all. He shook his head in wonder as Naruto tilted his head and waited.

"You said you did kill someone before and that Naruto-kun saw it. Who and why may I ask?"

"I killed the fool who told him his hero is the one who sealed me into him. Children need heroes but that fool decided Kit didn't since to him Kit was a demon. Before that night Kit had no idea why he kept getting tormented. Nor did he have any idea how he healed so quickly, which by the way, that quick healing is his own ability. All I do is direct his own chakra more efficiently to where it is needed. As he gets older I will have less and less to do with it at all. I aid the process but it would happen nearly as fast without me."

"What? He heals quickly because you live through him. We all know demons have faster healing then mortals do."

"Not true. Well I do but I couldn't use my chakra to heal a mortal, inside of them or not. Demon skills require Demon chakra. That's toxic to all humankind, vessels for demons or not. One of the required things to be a demon vessel is an inate healing factor."

Sarutobi dove into his memories of the Yondaime as a young man. He was trying to remember if the Yondaime had shown any unique recovery abilities. How could they have just assumed it was Kyuubi that gave the boy his healing? What else did they just assume came about because of the Kyuubi being inside the child? Before he could ask he heard a deep throated chuckle and looked up.

"His chakra pool. You've assumed it is so large because of me. Not true. Again if he didn't have it he could not have housed me. The seal would have broken as soon as I was enclosed by it. Kit has a super large chakra pool that does not have a damned thing to do with me. It is all his by birth as is his healing factor. Granted when he was smaller a lot of the pool went to maintaining my seal and his life but now that he is in the academy it has grown beyond that. Tell those fools to teach the Kit something using a lot of chakra."

"What do you mean? He has to learn the basics before we can teach him more advanced things. If he can't do a simple Bushin he'll never be able to fool his opponent. Same for the Henge. He has to be able to do transformation, henge and bushin in order to function as a shinobi."

"They don't require enough chakra for him right now. He can't control the massive amount he has that finely so he can't do them. If that Banshee girl had half as much chakra as Kit does she wouldn't be nearly as sanctimonious and smug as she is. Teach him some techniques that require more chakra rather than less or I will." This caused Sarutobi to blink.

"You can teach him jutsus," he whispered. "And who is the Banshee girl?"

"I could but I haven't. What he is learning at the academy is stuff he needs to know but I am tired of having to rebuild his confidence every time he fails to do the exercises right and the others all laugh at him. They couldn't do them either if they had half the chakra he does. Banshee girl is the one that likes to hit him for every word he says and laughs at him for every mistake. She's a pink-haired girl with dual personality and she's about to learn a painful lesson messing with a demon vessel."

Still blinking and definitely needing a good stiff drink Sarutobi could only beg Kyuubi, "Please don't hurt her. She's just a child. Anything else I should know?"

"Hmm." He watched as Naruto's head tilted again to the other side and his eyes looked off towards the ceiling. After a moment Kyuubi said, "Know this. When my Kit does pass that exam and you are picking him a team I want a say in it. I do not like all those kids in his class and some of them would be a very bad team mate for my Kit. You give me a say and I will protect the whole team. Deny me and I only protect him."

Sarutobi quickly agreed to her terms and asked, "How can I speak to you again to let you know I found this Nightmare Man and dealt with him? I assume you don't want Naruto to know."

"No I don't. Tell the Mindwalker. He can enter the Kit's mind and tell me. Oh, you might have him warn his daughter to stay out of other peoples minds. She is very rude but he wouldn't like the lesson I'll give her if I catch her trying to probe Kit again. Remind him of all those doors and what's behind them."

Sarutobi gulped and nodded quickly. He would definitely warn Inoichi. Not only was it rude of Ino to enter another's mind without permission; it was also very dangerous. "Anyone else treading on dangerous ground that I should know about and don't?"

"A few but my Kit is getting very hungry and sleepy. So listen close and then I must go so he can rest. Banshee Girl. I won't touch her yet but if she hits him one more time I promise the day will come when she will feel every ounce of his pain. Duck Butt Kid that so dark and gloomy. He's headed down a very dark road. Just because the teacher of taijutsu spent extra time teaching him he thinks he can mock Kit when the damn guy didn't show Kit the right way just so he will fail. Oh and Dog Boy needs to lay off trying to figure out what I am. He's not mean to Kit but he's making him nervous because he's always trying to find me. Other than that the rest aren't worth the notice. But those four your village would have a fit if something bad were to happen to them."

Wondering what she meant about Kit having not been taught right in taijutsu class Sarutobi nodded and promised to deal with the children. He said, "One more question before you leave if you please. I promise it's relevant." Kyuubi nodded and he asked, "Where should I begin looking for this Nightmare Man and do you know if he is Ninja trained?"

"He's an assassin. Look for him where the shadows are deepest and there are children no one notices. If there is evil, there he will be. If there is only light he will not be there. If the children cry he has been there but if they laugh they know him not." Naruto's head fell forward and a moment later Sarutobi knew he was looking into the bright eyes of his favorite child.

"Welcome back Naruto. Let's get you settled into bed and then Iruka will bring you some food. Ok?" He helped the child change into his jammies and then pulled the blankets over him. He opened the door to find Iruka had already prepared a meal for the child and was waiting to feed him.

"Come in. Come in. He's hungry and tired." Iruka smiled as he led the way into the room. Following him were the Doctor and Inoichi but Kakashi was trying to make a get-away. Sarutobi called him back. Outside the bedroom door he said, "I need you to spend the night at Naruto's place. Apparently the reason he went back was because he was told he has to be there every single night. No exceptions. Take a team you trust and wait for who ever shows up. Apprehend them and turn them over to Ibiki. One way or another we are going to free this kid." Kakashi nodded and used the Body Flicker jutsu to transport himself to Anbu headquarters where he set about fulfilling Sarutobi's request.

Sarutobi turned to Inoichi and Iruka and said he needed to speak to them in the hallway. He led the way out and passed on what he had learned from Kyuubi. To Inoichi, he just told him about Ino's probing in dangerous areas and reminded him of what could happen if she should succeed in getting through into Naruto's mind. Inoichi lost all his color as he saw his daughter walk unprepared into either of the two rooms he had gone into. He heard again Kyuubi saying those were the two less painful rooms and nearly started hyperventilating as he ran from the small house and all the way back to his own where he scared his poor wife by demanding to know where the girl was. Ino came down the stairs to find her very angry and scared father pacing the floor.

"You stupid, stupid girl. How the hell could you possibly be any stupider," he yelled as soon as he saw her.

Ino and her mother both stood in total shock as Inoichi proceeded to tell his daughter in no uncertain terms exactly how dumb she was and what could have been the outcome of her idiocy. By the time he had made his opinion clear her mother was also staring at her, disappointment clear in her face. To make sure Ino did not try to repeat her fallacy Inoichi blocked her Mind Transfer ability and told her point blank he would not unlock it for her until she could prove to him that she valued other peoples privacy and her own sanity. She ran crying to her room and vowed vengeance on Naruto for ratting her out. But Inoichi followed her and told her that if he heard one word of her taking any action against anyone for this he would make her regret she was his daughter. The girl gulped as her mother stood behind her father and nodded in agreement with his decision. "I have always indulged you but this goes way beyond rude Ino. This is so very dangerous you could have been permanently lost to us. When you prepare to enter another's mind it is always a good idea to know first what you might encounter there. That requires some knowledge of who that person is. You know nothing of this boy or his life to this point. You were misusing your talent and being nosy."

"I only wanted to scare him away from Sasuke-kun and maybe find something that we could use to get him to leave the academy. No one wants him there. He's such a loser," Ino cried.

Inoichi walked forward and slapped her across the face. Her head flew to the side so fast her vision had to catch up to the new position. "Like I said," he growled. "You know nothing of that boy. You will leave him alone unless you can mind your manners and speak to him in a civil tone of voice. Is that clear?"

Holding a hand to her face the eight year old girl cried and nodded compliance. She had never seen her father so angry before but somehow she knew she had scared him and that stirred her curiosity. What was so dangerous about Naruto's mind? What didn't she know?

Her mother looked at her as Inoichi left the room. "I'll bring you your dinner up here. I don't wish to see you downstairs tonight, Ino. As wild as your sister was she never tried to do something this rude to another. I expected better of you."

"I'm sorry, Mother," whispered the girl.

"I am not the one you need to apologize to am I? It was not my mind you tried to force your way into. It was not my secrets you tried to find and exploit. Was it? Do not bother me with meaningless words." She walked away after quietly closing the door between her and Ino.

Across town Kakashi was settling into Naruto's cramped quarters and just waiting for whoever would show up. He had no doubt someone would since the boy had been ordered to be home every single night by sundown. He had chosen to bring along Anko, for her spiteful disregard for anyone's position and her wicked attacks, Gai for his one of a kind taijutsu and their rivalry, Genma for his deadly projectiles. The four of them were all that were needed to bring the miscreants to justice. They didn't talk to each other but all four were ready to seriously mess up anyone stupid enough to mess with a child and call it fun. They were not happy when Kakashi had told them where they were going or why but they all liked Naruto and none of them blamed the child for having the bad luck to be born on the night the Kyuubi decided to give Konoha a new look. Gai was positioned in the bathroom since it was the only room that faced the back of the building while Kakashi had the position nearest Naruto's small crate bed. Anko was in the kitchen staring in dismay at the ratty tablemat spread on the floor while Genma was sitting along the back wall where he could have a clear view of the front door.

At Iruka's house Sarutobi had finished informing Iruka of what Kyuubi had told him about Naruto's training and classmates. Iruka had known there had to be something going on since he knew how bright Naruto really was. Well he did since he had found the scrolls anyway. He showed them to Sarutobi saying, "I don't know why he never turned any of them in but if I can believe the dates he wrote on the scrolls almost all of them were done on time and as you can see he would have received near perfect if not perfect marks on all of them. It just doesn't make sense to me that he wouldn't turn them in. I would have graded them fairly as would all the other teachers he has."

"No. According to Kyuubi not all of them would have. The teacher of taijutsu teaches him incorrectly on purpose and then pares him up with the best taijutsu student he has just to watch the child fail. I'm afraid most of the teachers want the child to fail."

"Mizuki wouldn't do that. He likes Naruto as much as I do." Instinct had Iruka defending Mizuki until he remember the day Naruto had passed out in class and the words Mizuki had used when he found Iruka was going to skip the party. His face fell into worry lines as he contemplated how well he really knew his best friend. He sighed and promised Sarutobi he'd speak with the students when he went back to teaching before heading back to Naruto's room. He planned to spend the night sleeping beside the boy again since the child couldn't be left alone.

The doctor had brought over a supply of vitamins and just to prove his point to Iruka he took one of them with a swallow of apple juice before placing one in Naruto's hand. He suffered through being stared at while Naruto reassured himself the pill wasn't poison before taking it.

"He is to take one of these morning and night. If you don't want to have to swallow one each time I suggest you leave them right here where I place them. The nutrients in these vitamins will help his tenant to repair the damage he has done with the other pills and by feeding him simple foods we will help his system to gradually get used to digesting the solid food again without having to worry that he isn't getting enough nutrients." He turned back to Naruto to find the child fast asleep. He nodded and left the room making his way to the front door with Sarutobi.

Both men left and went their separate ways heading for their individual homes. Sarutobi would only stay home long enough to eat and play with his grandson before heading back to the tower to try and get some more of the blasted paperwork done before he fell asleep at his desk. The doctor would suffer through a diatribe from his wife on the evils of treating the Demon as a real person while he tried to eat the barely edible dinner she had prepared for him before giving it up as a lost cause and going out to drink his dinner. He would not return home until he knew his nagging wife was asleep in her own room. Then he would spend several hours working on a treatment plan for Naruto before falling into an uneasy slumber at his desk.

**Author Notes: I know this chapter kind of seems to want to wander all over the place but the good news is this is the last planned chapter of the story. I could continue it but I think the process of curing Naruto's Anexoria would not make good reading. However you could always change my mind about that by sending in your reviews and letting me know what you think. If you want me to continue then send a review. Enough of you saying you do and I will. Only one or two though. . . Well I think you get the picture. The purpose of the story was to show how the bond between Iruka and Naruto was strengthened and grew to the relationship they have in cannon. And I believe I have managed to do this in this story. I hope you all enjoyed it.**


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